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Yosemite Physical Therapy offers a comprehensive range of evidence-based physical therapy services that work!  We treat patients at our Merced and Atwater locations, along with patients from the surrounding communities of Los Banos, Livingston and Chowchilla. 

 Our services include:


Orthopedics

Orthopedics is the branch of medicine that deals with the treatment of injuries or disorders of the bones, joints, and associated ligaments, tendons and muscles.  Musculoskeletal issues are generally accompanied by pain and physical limitations, making day to day activities a challenge, and making it difficult to enjoy your everyday life.

We are experts in assessment and treatment of orthopedic conditions, like sore shoulders and knees, back and neck pain, pinched nerves, sports injuries, degenerative conditions, and relatedcomplex issues.  We focus on reducing pain and improving function of not only joint(s), but of the musculoskeletal system as a whole, making your body stronger, more efficient and less likely to sustain injury whether you are returning to your day to day activities, competitive sports, or somewhere in between.

 

Sports Medicine

We are passionate about sports.  Our therapists are athletes themselves and they are experienced in working with players at all levels to help them heal their injuries quickly and perform at peak capacity.   We focus on patient education, because we believe that understanding movement mechanics helps the athlete understand why injury occurs, and how to train to avoid injury, and ultimately how to train to excel in their chosen sport. 

Our assessment of your condition may include the use of Dartfish motion analysis software (www.dartfish.com).   Use of slow-motion videoanalysis allows us (and you) to see precisely where you may have weakness,  excessive motion or restriction in certain joints resulting in compromised biomechanics.  This approach also allows us to detect subtle changes in motor function and record progress with your performance.


Spinal Care

Many factors can impact the health of your back and neck.  Our full range of rehabilitation programs are designed to address your causes of pain and help you recover from injury and restore your spinal mobility and strength, allowing you to resume your active lifestyle.Treatment may include multiple interventions, but one of our most effective are manual techniques that we call mobilization or manipulation.  These are passive movements, performed by the therapist, targeted to a particular spinal segment.  It takes skill and experience to use these techniques, and the benefits are well documented scientifically.   


Aquatic Therapy

Aquatic Physical Therapy uses the physical properties of water, which include buoyancy, friction and viscosity, to reduce pain, and assist in patient healing.

Aquatic Therapy is beneficial for a variety of medical conditions including recovery from spinal and joint surgery, arthritis and chronic issues like fibromyalgia.

While in the water, your buoyancy reduces the amount of weight and stress placed on the joints. By decreasing this stress it is easier and less painful to perform exercises and this can be extremely beneficial for patients who are just starting in therapy. 

The water also provides a patient-variable source of resistance that can be easily adjusted based on the patients tolerance and need.  Adjustable resistance coupled with the water’s buoyancy allows a person to strengthen muscle groups with decreased joint stress that cannot be experienced on land.

The indoor therapy pool at Yosemite Physical Therapy assists in relaxing muscles and increasing blood flow to injured areas. Patients with muscle spasms, back pain, and fibromyalgia find this aspect of aquatic therapy especially therapeutic.

 

Pre and Post Surgical Care

Patients who engage in physical therapy before and after surgery recover faster than those who do not receive it.  As part of our comprehensive surgical care, we offer advice and training prior to your surgery, and then start your post-surgical rehabilitation as soon as possible after consultation with your surgeon.  We have long-standing relationships with all of our local orthopedic surgeons, and many from outside our area.  Collaboration with your physician before starting your rehab program and throughout the process means a faster and complete recovery for you.


Workplace Health Management

Yosemite Physical Therapy has an extensive range of specialized workplace health management programs to help employers offer safe working conditions and keep employees healthy.  Our solutions help employers and employees effectively reduce the costs and lost work hours associated with work injury.

Certified Ergonomic Assessments are available on-site, and allow us the opportunity to assess a particular work environment for safety and risk of injury, and to develop recommendations and a comprehensive plan for changes in the physical layout of the work space, equipment, or other environmental variables to help maintain a healthy work place. 

Certified Functional Capacity Assessments are available to help determine what limitations if any that an injured worker needs to adhere to when returning to work.  In some cases, the injury may lead to permanent limitations, which prevent the employee from returning to their prior job.   This assessment helps the employee and their doctor understand what he or she might be capable of doing, and so helps them understand what job categories might best match their capabilities. 

Pre-employment strength testing allows us the opportunity to partner with employers to determine which prospective employees can satisfy the physical strength, coordination and dexterity requirements of a particular job.  We assess the critical physical demands of the job and create an appropriate pre-employment test that we can then use to determine whether the job and the employee are a good “match”.  This prevents employers from hiring those who do not have the physical capacity to perform the job, thereby reducing workplace injury and significantly reducing costs associated with those injuries. 

Our local clients include but not limited to: Scholle Corporation, Merced County, McLane Pacific and Riggs Ambulance Service.

 

Proprioception and Balance Training

Many of our patients limit their day to day performance and increase their risk for falls through lack of training of their balance systems.  Over time, subtle loss of strength, lack of attention to training of support muscles, and a simple lack of activities that challenge your balance and proprioception systems can lead to tripping, stumbling, and lack of confidence on your feet.

Balance and vestibular rehabilitation involves a series of custom-designed exercises that help you re-train your neuromuscular system (muscle strength and dexterity, and the nerves that control them).  Training in this way helps to reduce risk of injury, and improves your overall coordination.

 

Manual Therapy

Manual therapy is defined as the skilled passive movement of joints (both spine and extremity) and soft tissues.  The goal of these techniques is to normalize the specific motions that take place between joint surfaces that allow for normal joint mobility.  It is one of the foundational components of effective physical therapy and involves the strategic use of manual forces including traction, mobilization or manipulation of a joint(s) or the spine, and soft tissue manipulation.  These techniques reduce muscle spasm, facilitate the release of your body’s natural pain reducers and inhibit your perception of pain, improve range of motion and restore normal biomechanics needed to function.   These techniques are typically used in conjunction with a comprehensive therapy plan that includes other therapy techniques, exercise and modalities.

 

Chronic Pain

Living with chronic pain can seriously impact your quality of life.  At Yosemite Physical Therapy, We have effective physical therapy treatment for chronic pain conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.  We are also able to help patients suffering with long-term pain from cancer and nerve damage.  Through proper training and exercise (including aquatic exercise), we have had success treating patients who did not think they would ever be able to resume normal living.

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