Low back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek physical therapy. At any given time, 25% of Americans report having experienced low back pain in the last three months. Physical therapy is a non-surgical, non-invasive treatment option for low back pain. A physical therapist can help improve and restore mobility and reduce your low back pain without the high costs of imaging scans, surgery, and medications. Staying active is an important aspect of successfully addressing your back pain. 

Vertigo and vestibular dysfunction affect a person’s quality of life and ability to perform daily activities. Vestibular dysfunction results in symptoms of lightheadedness, dizziness, vertigo, impaired postural control, and imbalance. Vertigo intensifies the feeling of dizziness into a spinning, tilting sensation. Using vestibular rehabilitation therapy, physical therapists treat a patient with vertigo or vestibular dysfunction, alleviate symptoms, improve balance, and reduce fall risk.

Migraines and headaches can be severe and debilitating, limiting a person’s quality of life, daily activities, and work ability. Migraine and headache sufferers often experience neck pain, tension, stiffness, and discomfort along with the headache and migraine pain. Physical therapists can help relieve migraine and headache pain without medication and address the underlying musculoskeletal impairments that contribute to the migraine and headache.

Golf can place a great deal of stress on the body due to the explosiveness of the golf swing and can cause injury to the back, shoulder, wrist, elbow, and knee. Whether you want to prepare for your best summer golfing yet or address underlying pain issues that exhibit when golfing, physical therapy can help you heal from and prevent golf injuries. Golf injury physical therapy helps a golfer implement proper biomechanics and body movement to avoid injury, eliminate current pain, and improve the quality and consistency of the golf swing.

Pre-surgical rehabilitation helps you prepare for surgery and leads to better surgical outcomes and a faster recovery. Post-surgical rehabilitation is essential to ensure proper healing, regain movement and strength, and return to pre-surgery and pre-injury activity levels. Our physical therapists can provide you with exceptional pre-and post-surgical rehabilitative care and help you return to your daily life and activity stronger and healthier!

Mangiarelli Rehabilitation June 2020 Newsletter on the blog covering Mangiarelli Rehabilitation celebrating 10 Years of physical therapy care, stroke rehabilitation, sports medicine: ACL rehabilitation, and a COVID-19 Business Update.

With the warmth of summer upon us, many are eager to enjoy the weather and take our workouts and our runs outside. Running has numerous benefits for your overall health—from strengthening your bones to reducing the risk of cancer. However, it is important to approach your summer runs with care to prevent injury and safely run in the heat. Take a look at our 10 Tips for safe, injury-free running this summer!

Multiple sclerosis is a progressive disease that affects the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord. This can result in pain, fatigue, muscle stiffness, and balance and coordination issues. Symptoms can vary in type, duration, and intensity depending on which part of the nervous system is affected. Physical therapy is a safe and effective treatment option to help individuals with multiple sclerosis regain functional independence, improve balance and strength, and achieve greater aerobic capacity and mobility. At Mangiarelli Rehabilitation, we understand that managing multiple sclerosis symptoms can be a marathon and we are here to support you throughout each stage of the disease.

Mangiarelli Rehabilitation is debunking seven myths about physical therapy today on the blog. Myth #1: You need a referral from a doctor to receive physical therapy care. Fact #1: A physical therapist can treat a patient without a referral script from a doctor. Learn more about physical therapy insurance coverage, why you do not need an MRI prior to physical therapy in most cases, how physical therapy can be just as effective as surgery for certain conditions, and much more!

Arthritis is a chronic pain condition that involves swelling and tenderness in one or more joints. It is the leading cause of disability for American adults, affecting 54 million adults each year. Aquatic therapy is a safe, low-impact physical therapy option that allows a patient to exercise and build aerobic capacity with reduced pain. Aquatic therapy at the Mangiarelli Rehabilitation clinic heated pool involves specific exercises and aerobics performed in heated water.

Chronic pain is a condition that can dramatically affect and limit an individual’s activities, physical function, work, and daily life. For too long, chronic pain was treated with pharmacological methods and prescriptions for opioids became pervasive. In 2016, the CDC recommended that the preferred treatment for chronic pain is non-pharmacological methods, particularly physical therapy and exercise interventions. Physical therapy is an effective treatment for chronic pain, using exercise therapy, manual therapy, aquatic therapy, and dry needling to manage and reduce pain.

The ACL is a primary ligament located in the knee joint. ACL injuries can occur through contact (helmet to the knee) or non-contact injury (sudden pivot or change of direction). Symptoms of an ACL injury include pain, an audible pop in the knee, swelling, and limited range of motion. Rehabilitation for an ACL injury typically is 9 to 16 months. Mangiarelli Rehabilitation physical therapist, Bobby, works with athletes to improve their range of motion and help them safely return to their sport through an intensive rehabilitation process.

A concussion is a mild brain injury that requires a thorough and skilled treatment plan for optimal recovery. Concussions can occur during sports and other recreational activities or from car accidents, falls, or work accidents. Physical therapists can effectively manage concussion injuries through evidence-based treatment and a careful, personalized rehabilitation plan.

Nearly 800,000 people experience a stroke in the United States each year. Physical therapy plays a pivotal role in stroke rehabilitation. It helps a survivor regain movement, decrease disability, improve range of motion and function of affected limbs, relearn basic daily activities, and walk with coordination and balance. At Mangiarelli Rehabilitation, it is our aim to provide you with high quality and personalized stroke rehabilitative care throughout the recovery process.

Check out our May 2020 Newsletter with features on Telehealth Services Offered at Mangiarelli Rehab, A Spotlight on Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month, Dry Needling as a Physical Therapy Treatment, and Mangiarelli Rehabilitation's New Website.

Parkinson’s disease is a lifelong condition from the onset of the disease, often around age 60. A customized physical therapy treatment plan can help manage the condition and maintain physical and cognitive function that can be affected by the disease. Physical therapy helps combat movement issues, difficulty walking, and impaired balance and coordination. Physical therapy can also improve posture, strength, and flexibility and decrease pain and stiffness.

Your body is built for movement. The more that you move, the better your body will function. Movement improves the overall function of the body, energy, mental health, brain health, and disease prevention. Adults should engage in physical activity 150 minutes a week, or thirty minutes a day, five days a week. At Mangiarelli Rehabilitation, we know how important it is for your health that you stay active during this time of staying at home. We offer 7 Tips to Stay Active At Home in our blog today!

Susan Davis is a Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) and Certified Lymphedema Therapist (CLT). She earned her Associate Degree from Penn State as a Physical Therapist Assistant and works in all areas of outpatient rehabilitation. She has additional training in aquatic therapy and lymphedema.

Sue’s favorite part of her job is the people! She enjoys working with the patients, wellness clients, and co-workers. She says, “As a privately-owned clinic, there is a closeness that isn’t there with a corporate-owned facility. The same staff has been at the clinic for years because it’s a great place to work! Patients get better and join the wellness program in order to stay healthy. It’s a very positive atmosphere.”

Lymphedema is an abnormal build-up of protein-rich fluid under the skin. It is a common, progressive, and serious condition. Symptoms include aching or feeling of heaviness in the arm or leg, swelling in the extremities, mobility limitations, and repeated infections. A certified lymphedema physical therapist is an important component of the medical team managing the condition. At Mangiarelli Rehabilitation, our certified lymphedema physical therapist performs Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT) to treat lymphedema; this includes manual lymphatic drainage, skincare, decongestive exercises, and compression therapy.

Patti Ciferno is a physical therapy assistant at Mangiarelli Rehabilitation. She specializes in myofascial release, a manual therapy that addresses soft tissue dysfunction: trigger points, scar tissue, and pain. She also specializes in core and pelvic floor strengthening along with proper postural alignment and aquatic therapy. Her favorite part of her job is working with those patients that come into therapy in so much pain and as a physical therapy assistant, being able to find what gets them out of pain. Treating patients to make them stronger and have relief from pain is one of her favorite aspects of her job.