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Inside an actual Physical Therapy Session

Updated: Mar 10

What is PT? What do you guys actually do in there? It's tough to answer because different PTs treat differently, clinics offer different session lengths and possess different skill sets. Further, each session is individualized. However, we thought it would be useful if you all could get a glimpse inside a Zenith-PNW PT session.


Brief background: Logan is a high school runner and basketball player who initially started with Zenith in late summer 2021 for strength training and to work on lower leg pain (which wasn't going well, so we referred him out for imaging and found out was a stress fracture). We helped him rehab that in the fall in time to finish the cross country season and he's been injury free since then, but continued with us for Performance PT and strength training. He's coming off a strong Track season, with a double event appearance at the State Meet. We're preparing for his senior Cross Country season.


To the session:

To start: we always chat a bit to see how things are going, what's new, and what specific areas need addressing today. This week he returned after being at a running camp that included some daily doubles, high vert climbing, and a lot of other fun. It was higher mileage than he has been doing and caused some Achilles discomfort. However, he's built a strong base this summer and his body was able to take that increased mileage.








NEXT: Assessing:

Dr Jenn Randall next assesses some objective measures (assessing joint mobility here, also measured joint range of motion, lower leg strength, a movement screen and pain with muscle testing to identify the true tissue of concern).















Treatment:


We find manual therapy very useful to help

decrease pain, increase mobility and range of motion, and also help allow clients to perform more active movement and exercise-which may then become part of their home program. Here, Jenn is doing soft tissue work on the affected muscles (did we mention she is a Certified Manual Physical Therapist through the North American Institute of Manual Physical Therapy?). She also performed joint mobilizations to the stiff ankle and then used tactile cuing to help retrain the muscles before moving on to......





...Exercises for Logan to perform at home so he can improve even more between sessions.

















All of that makes for a really well rounded and effective PT session.





BUT- since we have full hour-long sessions, we can often treat more than one area of concern at a time, so Jenn then turned her attention to Logan's right shoulder, which has given some issues in the past. She performed more manual therapy there, and found that his current home program was still appropriate- it just got sidetracked by camp, so no additional exercises added to the home program there.






That's a lot of good work in a single session... so in order to make sure our clients understand everything that was worked on, what they need to do going forward, and have a solid, agreed upon plan. We always make sure to communicate clearly and answer any questions.

Logan left with the most up to date home program, a plan for key things to work on between now and next week, and his customized program sent digitally straight to him.



We hope this helps paint a picture of what physical therapy CAN and SHOULD look like. One on one care with a qualified PT that knows how to treat your specific issues and takes the time to address you as a whole person.


Comments


Zenith Takes PT to the Next Level — Running Pain-Free

I started experiencing a persistent pain in my right hip after returning to running after several years. I am active and participate in sports and the pain was keeping me from my routine runs, races and my overall fitness. Mike evaluated me and got to the root of the issue. He is innovative in his approach and integrates elements of massage into the work. He is fun to work with, communicates regularly and uses humor as we approach some difficult movements that push me out of my comfort zone. After each visit, I receive a set of exercises to complete at home between sessions. As I got stronger, the pain decreased and I was able to return to my routine. We targeted goals, and he continues to tailor each session and prescribe a set of exercises to meet the unique characteristics of my body type and performance needs. I highly recommend Zenith; they take PT to the next level.

Kanoe B

From Misdiagnosed Adductor Pain to Running Strong Again

I can’t say enough good things about Zenith. After over a year of lingering adductor pain that seemed to come out of nowhere, I finally found answers and treatment here. As a semi-professional runner, lingering pain isn’t something I can afford. It throws off my form and affects every part of my training, including lifting. So I went to a doctor who thought it was iliopsoas tightness and they sent me to a PT who thought it was an adductor strain and made it worse. Then I came to Zenith and started working with Jesse. He took the time to understand the full story and offered a completely different perspective: this wasn’t a strain or tightness but actually a nerve issue. That insight alone was a game changer. He worked on the problem during our first session, gave me daily stretches, and even made simple lifestyle suggestions that I hadn’t considered (like actually using my standing desk throughout the day). The progress was slow and steady. After the first follow-up, I still had some discomfort, but the plan felt like it was finally targeting the root cause. Jesse introduced strength training specific to the problem area, which I was initially nervous about. After my first lift, my muscles were sore in and around the adductor area, but the pain didn’t worsen. That was the turning point for me. After just four sessions and a few months of consistent stretching and strengthening, I’m nearly 100% better and still improving. I’m back to running and lifting with more strength, confidence, and most importantly almost no pain.” “If you’re dealing with a nagging issue like me or an injury then I would highly recommend Zenith. It’s an investment, but for me I saw it as a long-term investment in my body’s future, and I’m glad I did because it was absolutely worth it.

Jake R

A professional bike fit—life changing

I worked with Mike and he was incredible! I was experiencing so much knee pain on my bike and he was able to help me move to feeling confident and pain free again by making some adjustments to my bike fit and prescribing some exercises that changed how my body functioned. I never knew how life changing it would be to have a professional bike fit, it has changed my riding!

Geoffrey H

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Eugene, Oregon

Phone: 541-250-0195

Fax: 458-201-4465

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