Resources

Dynamometry

Not all strength testing is created equal. When working with high level athletes and post operative patients, it is important to have the ability to accurately assess strength beyond a manual muscle test. Strength testing with the use of a dynamometer allows our physical therapists to identify detailed asymmetries in strength. Addressing these asymmetries will put you back on the field with the strength and safety you need to excel in your sport and prevent future injuries.

Electrical Stimulation

Our primary approach to post op physical therapy will be exercise based, but there are select occasions where research continues to support ways to augment those exercises to maximize strengthening. Blood flow restriction therapy and electrical stimulation may both have their place in certain stages of post op rehab. These are both available at Girl Fit and your therapist will discuss the option of utilizing these methods to support your strengthening program if appropriate.

Sport specific training

Physical therapists are movement experts. With thorough evaluation, often through video motion analysis, our PTs can break down the movements of any sport. In addition to this expertise, our physical therapists have personal experience in a variety of sports, such as gymnastics, dance, lacrosse, soccer, running, diving, swimming, softball, volleyball, rock climbing, and more. Through weekly educational team training sessions, our therapists provide hands on sport specific training to the entire team. And as specialists in the female athlete, they are able to provide even more specialized care. Through one on one evaluation and treatment sessions, you or your athlete will receive the best post op rehab in Newton.

Post operative physical therapy may begin with a rehabilitation protocol provided by your surgeon, but your care and progress should always be tailored to your unique needs. At Girl Fit Physical Therapy, we provide one on one treatments, sport specific care, dynamometry for precise measurement of strength, electrical stimulation to improve muscle activation post surgery, and the option of Blood Flow Restriction therapy, a technique used to increase strength after surgery. Girl Fit Physical Therapy provides a positive, supportive, and motivating environment for girls and women to recover from surgery, regain range of motion, build strength, and return to the activities they love with strength and confidence.

Not only do our physical therapists specialize in orthopedics and sports, but we concentrate on female athletes specifically. We will approach your post operative care with an expertise you won’t find anywhere else. Evidence based practice is constantly evolving and we we are committed to staying up to date in order to help you achieve the very best outcomes.

You are an individual and your care should be too. We will communicate with your physicians and even your coaches if you would like. We will go above and beyond to make sure every aspect of your recovery is tailored specifically to you. We will listen to you. We will look at you as the whole athlete and whole person that you are.

Our physical therapy staff and patients create a unique, positive, and empowering environment. You will see girls and women at every stage of their rehabilitation and every stage of life.

Blood flow restriction

Blood flow restriction is a technique that uses a tourniquet to mimic the environment your muscles experience during high intensity exercise with low resistance or weights. Research has shown that to build strength in the muscles, you need to lift more than 65% of your one rep max (the most amount of weight you can do in one full repetition). This is often not possible after surgery because lifting that much weight could interrupt the healing tissues. That is where BFR comes in! By restricting the amount of blood going to the muscles, the exercise can yield the same results with much lower resistance, which is safer for the surgery site and allows muscles to gain strength quicker than traditional strengthening. This gets our patients back to the activities they like to do quicker than other strengthening techniques!