Physical Therapy
814-467-3465
Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber
Floor 5
600 Somerset Avenue
Windber, PA 15963
The principle function of physical therapy is to help people overcome problems that limit their body’s ability to move and participate in activities of daily living. Common causes of limited movement include surgery, illness, injury, or over-use. For example, we help stroke victims learn to walk or to regain movement in their arms and hands, athletes recover from sports injuries, and patients who have been immobilized by casting or disease regain their strength and mobility.
We currently see patients in six convenient locations in the region.
In the aquatic therapy pool, water provides both support and resistance that is an ideal form of treatment for a host of movement-related conditions. Specially trained aquatic therapists help patients cope with and overcome problems with circulation, strength and endurance, balance, inflammation, and conditions like chronic pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, back pain, and post-operative pain.
To relieve balance-related conditions, physical therapists utilize traditional and non-traditional methods, such as balance exercises, video-based simulation, neurological rehabilitation exercises, and treatments for conditions of the ear that impact balance.
Blood flow restriction (BFR) rehabilitation is a new way to rehabilitate muscle injuries by reducing blood flow, using a tourniquet cuff, while exercising. Using this technique, you can exercise with significantly lighter weight while still creating muscle growth and strength comparable to heavy weight training.
DARI Motion Health is a markerless, motion capture technology platform that captures full-body musculoskeletal analysis. It processes the data and delivers customized, easy-to-read performance reporting in under 10 minutes. DARI is a solution for proactive wellness, corporate wellness and workplace health, high performance athletics and military, and research involving motion.
ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) is a collection of neurocognitive assessments administered online in a controlled environment. ImPACT has two components: baseline testing and post-injury testing which are used in conjunction to determine if a patient can safely return to an activity.
Inpatient care helps those who have suffered limited movement as the result of surgery, illness, or injury, and can include therapeutic exercise, functional training, and gait training with crutches, walkers, or canes.
Using a specific set of manual techniques to diagnose and treat soft tissue and joint problems, manual physical therapy can help to increase the patient’s range of motion, reduce or eliminate soft tissue inflammation, improve joint stability, shorten recovery times, and improve overall function.
Myofascial release uses gentle, sustained pressure to relieve fascia tension, which reduces pain and promotes healing. Myofascial release is especially effective for those who suffer from back and neck pain, headaches, or fibromyalgia.
The goal of orthopedic physical therapy is to return a patient recovering from fractures, back problems, sports injuries, surgery, or maladies like tendinitis and bursitis to their normal, pre-injury condition. This is done in stages beginning with the control of pain and swelling, then with exercise to improve range of motion
and strength.
The goal for pediatric therapy is to aide children in reaching their maximum potential for functional independence through play-based activity by facilitating motor development, improving strength, enhancing learning opportunities, and supporting care givers. Physical therapists work with children who have a variety of diagnoses, including developmental delays, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, autism, torticolis, and muscular dystrophy.
Pelvic physical therapy is beneficial for both men and women who are experiencing pelvic floor issues, such as urine incontinence, urinary frequency/urgency, fecal incontinence, constipation, painful bladder syndrome, vulvar pain, birth trauma/episiotomies, irritable bowel syndrome, rectal pain, or painful intercourse.
The sports medicine department uses sport-specific training to improve endurance, strength, speed, agility, and overall athletic performance. The program includes comprehensive consultations, one-on-one training sessions, and both pre-season and in-season performance and lifting programs for all sports. Athletic trainers are utilized in some local schools, as well.