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For over 20 years, Bodycentral Physical Therapy has been serving Tucson and surrounding communities.
Bodycentral Physical Therapy, conveniently located on W. Cortaro Farms Rd., is the top choice for individualized physical therapy in a warm and encouraging atmosphere.
We offer exceptional care, trusted expertise, and remarkable outcomes through in-clinic PT treatment. From balance and vertigo issues to sports injuries, pelvic floor therapy, hand therapy, fitness and wellness programs, and workers compensation cases, Bodycentral Physical Therapy is the top choice for Physical Therapy in Tucson.
The friendly staff at Bodycentral Physical Therapy will develop a personalized treatment plan designed for YOU to help you reach your goals and reduce the chance of future injuries. We use comprehensive methods, such as functional movement analysis, differential diagnosis, and a whole-body approach, to help determine which services you will benefit from most.
We provide quality, comprehensive treatment for patients who are injured or suffering from any type of movement or function disorder.
As a key member of today's dynamic health care team, we prescribe a goal-oriented program of evaluation, treatment, and prevention for our patient's specific needs.
Conditions we treat include but are not limited to:
The benefits of physical therapy include:
We provide quality, comprehensive treatment for patients who are injured or suffering from any type of movement or function disorder.
As a key member of today's dynamic health care team, we prescribe a goal-oriented athlete training program starting with an evaluation, comprehensive training plan, and injury prevention for our patient's specific needs.
Athlete Training includes but is not limited to:
Our speed program focuses on two outcomes: explosive acceleration, and a fast max speed. Sprint technique and leg power are the big drivers of speed, so our programs focus on enhancing both to maximize speed.
Athletes in our program learn what to do with their arms, hands, hips, feet, and chest in order to run their fastest.
To improve your jump height as fast as possible without wasting time and effort, there are two undeniable truths:
1. Every person is unique and training works best when tailored to you as an individual. Cookie-cutter programs don’t cut it.
2. Not all exercise is created equal. You have to pick the right exercises, with the right weights, in the right order for your body.
We know training works best when customized for each individual.
In this program, every athlete is tested to determine exactly what type of training he or she needs as an individual in order to maximize jump height.
After testing, we analyze the data and build your program to target exactly what you need and not waste your time and energy with what you don’t.
Once you do the testing and we write your training program, you can then complete the program on your own. Our programs are written in four-week cycles. After you complete your four-week cycle, you’ll come back for re-testing to track progress and determine what changes need to be made in your training. As you advance, the type of training you need will change. RE-testing every four weeks allows us to monitor your progression closely so that every training session is exactly what your body needs to get as explosive as possible.
Our adult fitness personal training programs are uniquely tailored to your individual goals, lifestyle, and abilities to help you move forward and live the life you want to live.
We help adults achieve:
We provide quality, comprehensive injury plans for every athlete to prevent injuries or suffering from any type of movement or function disorder.
Our movement specialists identify if the way your body moves or your strength levels are contributing to pain, putting you at an increased risk for suffering a shoulder injury, running injury or even a torn ACL that can hold you back from your highest level of athletic performance.
Conditions we treat include but are not limited to:
When it comes to running, that starts with a running analysis.
Our advanced technology gives incredible insight into how your body runs. We measure every movement your lower body makes when running, from your ankle all the way up to your hip.
This allows us to break down every aspect of your technique to determine what is holding you back from being your best, fastest, and most pain-free competitor. After that, we prescribe exercises to strengthen your running.
The end result is you become a faster, safer runner, prolonging your running career and getting you better results along the way.
Whether you’re a cross country athlete, an adult competitive runner, or a weekend warrior, if you want to run faster or with less pain, you are in the right place.
If you’re an overhead athlete who has ever worried about a shoulder injury like a rotator cuff or labrum tear, a Tommy John injury (which is almost always caused by a bad shoulder), or nerve damage like thoracic outlet syndrome that causes numbness and tingling pain down your arm and hand, and you want to do everything you can to make sure you have a long, injury-free career, you are in the right place.
Physical therapists are movement specialists that have doctorate-level training in assessing, analyzing, and treating movement disorders using the power of your own body.
By knowing exactly what to look for, and how to fix the problems found, pain and injury can be avoided altogether.
There are four key predictors for ACL-tears: strength and power, strength symmetry, and body control.
Strength and power are critical for both athletic performance and injury prevention.
Strength and power symmetry refers to how similar your strength and power levels are between legs. Nobody is 100% the same on both sides, but if one of your legs is significantly stronger or more powerful than the other, your body compensates in ways that put you at increased risk for getting hurt.
Body control is the most well known of these risk factors. Knees that cave in when you run, jump, and make cuts increase the likelihood of injury.
Testing each of these factors gives you a clear idea of your strengths and weaknesses and highlights exactly what you need to work on to remove as much ACL-tear risk as possible.
If you want to know the truth about how your body works, and if you want to prevent a devastating, life-changing injury, this ACL-tear risk assessment is for you.
We work with employers and employees toward preventing work-related injuries, helping to save valuable dollars, lost time, and a lot of pain for both.
Our therapists utilize some of the top testing programs available today, to evaluate potential employees’ physical capabilities of doing their jobs as well as assess ergonomics and provide functional capacity evaluations (FCEs) using the renowned programs including the WorkSTEPS ® Program.
Work hardening, Work Capacity Testing & WorkSTEPS are designed to provide employers with an objective employment testing program that reduces work-place injury incidence and injury costs reduces lost time, and creates accountability for employees and the providers who treat them.
We focus on an active injury prevention approach to helping you:
• We will educate your employees on how to maintain safe work habits.
• We will evaluate employees and their environments to ensure safety.
If you’re an employer or any employee who is concerned about work injury please ask any member of our team about our programs that can make a difference for your company’s bottom line.
Falls and fear of falling in our senior population are recognized public health crises.
According to the CDC, falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths in older adults by a wide margin. Each year, more than two million seniors experience a fall severe enough to necessitate emergency medical treatment. This number along with the associated personal and societal costs of falling is expected to rise as our population ages. Despite these grim statistics, many falls are preventable with professional interventions that address the causes of falling in older adults.
Our expert clinicians are trained in evidence-based interventions that are proven by controlled clinical trials to effectively reduce the number of falls in older adults.
There are other factors that also contribute to falls. Neurological conditions such as Parkinson's Disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, vestibular disorders, and neuropathy also increase fall risk. Our therapy team is well equipped to address the problems of falling and the fear of falling in individuals living with these conditions.
Rehab after an ACL surgery is a long and hard process, but the therapist here at the RE are specially equipped to guide you through the process and get back to all activities and sports. Rehab starts with gaining back full range of motion while beginning to strengthen your quad. We utilize a full squat rack, kettlebells, and other strength training equipment to make the gains necessary to successfully get back to sport. We also utilize plyometric and agility drills to gain confidence with these movements prior to returning to play.
Our state-of-the-art facility includes a Biodex machine to objective test strength, force plates to measure symmetry of movement, and other objective measures to make the rehab process as evidenced-based as possible. If you are not testing, you are guessing, and we test to ensure that each athlete is ready to get back to sport.
Research has shown that athletes who complete and pass return to sport testing are less likely to reinjure themselves when they return to sport. Our staff includes sports residency-trained physical therapists who have rehabbed high school, collegiate, and professional athletes so they have the experience to give you the highest level of care possible. Each athlete is taken through an individual assessment and crafted a unique plan to match their sport/activities specific demands.
Cupping is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practice that involves placing cups on the skin to create suction. This technique dates back more than 2,000 years but has received recent attention due to its use by world-class athletes for injury relief.
It’s believed that the effect of suction on the skin helps increase blood flow and promotes an optimal environment for healing. Researchers have concluded that cupping can be effective in treating the pain and disability associated with chronic neck pain and chronic low-back pain in the short term.
Cupping is generally safe for healthy people when performed by one of our trained healthcare professionals. Some mild and temporary side effects, such as bruising and soreness, can occur.
Cupping is a helpful complementary treatment for some. Before initiating treatment, our clinical professional will discuss your health history and treatment goals with you to determine if cupping is a good option for you.
Call us today at 714-633-7227 for more information and to schedule your cupping session.
Have you noticed the colorful tape applied in different patterns on many professional and collegiate athletes? Kinesiology taping is not just a way to show team colors – it has function. Used as an adjunctive treatment for various orthopedic injuries and disorders, kinesiology tape – which can stretch more than 100% of its original length – allows much greater range of motion than traditional white athletic tape. It can also be left on for longer periods of time (up to 4 days) before reapplication is needed. Kinesiology tape is designed to mimic the skin’s elastic properties and, properly applied, helps alleviate pain, reduce inflammation, relax muscles, enhance performance, and can facilitate rehabilitation, along with supporting muscles during athletic activities.
First, it’s best to consult with a certified professional trained in kinesiology taping to assess your needs and goals. Evaluation by an athletic trainer or physical therapist in necessary to help identify any underlying causes of injury, discomfort, muscle tension, or other issues that might need to be addressed with other treatment modalities, along with corrective exercises.
Before applying kinesiology tape, the certified professional ensures that the patient’s skin is clean and free of oils, sweat, and lotions. Otherwise, the tape will lose its adhesive abilities. Correct tension is also key to success with kinesiology taping. Once applied, the practitioner rubs the tape to activate the heat-sensitive glue.
Small amounts of body hair will not interfere with the effectiveness or adhesion of the tape. However, areas with significant amounts of hair should be shaved for best results and to decrease discomfort during tape removal.
During the first few days, if an edge of the tape has begun to lift, it can be trimmed. Rounding the edges before application can help prevent the edges from lifting prematurely. To dry tape after exercising, swimming, or showering, pat gently with a towel.
This isn’t recommended. It’s essential to apply the tape with the correct degree of tension. If too much tension is applied, the effects are diminished. It’s better to have too little tension than too much. This is why it is important to have a certified professional trained in kinesiology taping techniques apply your tape – and only after a qualified healthcare provider has evaluated your condition.
Think you might benefit from kinesiology taping? Call us at 714-633-7227 for a free consultation with our certified athletic trainer to determine if it’s right for you.
Physical therapy is an important part of the rehab process after a total joint replacement. Your physical therapist will craft a specialized program to help reduce pain, restore range of motion, and increase your strength and function. Physical therapy is also a great benefit prior to your surgery.
Pre-rehab, can improve the outcomes of a total joint replacement. Prehab will focus on education of how to use equipment, learning new exercises, and making sure you go into surgery with better strength and range of motion, leading to a smoother recovery process. Your treatment plan will be created by a skilled therapist who will help guide you through this process. Early on the treatment is focused on reducing swelling and gaining back range of motion. This can be done with manual therapy, gentle exercises, and other modalities.
Then the process focused on gradually regaining strength and improving your functional movements in order to return you to normal everyday activities. You will also be educated in exercises that you can perform at home to help make the recovery process as quick and smooth as possible. The main goal of physical therapy is to improve your function and return you to all the activities you need and love to do.
The ankle is a weight-bearing joints and one of the most commonly injured joints in the body. Ankle sprains account for approximately 1 million visits to the emergency room each year in the United States.
Physical therapy can be an effective treatment for ankle injuries and other conditions that affect the foot and ankle.
We use a variety of treatments to help their patients recover from foot and ankle injuries, including:
Exercise: Exercise is an important part of treatment for foot and ankle injuries. Podiatrists may prescribe specific exercises to strengthen the muscles and ligaments around the joint.
Manual Therapy: Manual therapy techniques, such as massage and joint mobilization, can help to reduce pain and swelling.
Modalities: Modalities, such as heat or ice, can also be used to treat foot and ankle injuries.
Bracing and Orthotics: In some cases, podiatrists may prescribe braces or orthotics to support the joints and muscles.
There are many physical therapy treatments that can help improve spine health and relieve spine-related conditions. Some of the most common therapies include:
1. Exercise: Exercise is a key part of spine health, and there are many different types that can be beneficial. Pilates, yoga, and stretching exercises can help to stretch and strengthen the muscles around the spine, improving flexibility and stability. Aerobic exercises such as walking or biking can also help to improve overall fitness and reduce stress on the spine.
2. Manual Therapy: Manual therapy, such as massage or spinal manipulation, can help to relieve tension in the muscles and improve joint mobility. This type of therapy can be helpful for both acute and chronic pain relief.
3. Cold/Hot Therapy: Cold therapy can help to reduce inflammation and pain, while hot therapy can help to relax muscles and improve blood flow. Both of these therapies can be helpful in managing spine-related conditions.
4. Heat/Ice Packs: Heat or ice packs can also be used to provide relief from pain and inflammation. Heating pads can be used to apply heat directly to the skin, while ice packs can be used to apply cold directly to the area of pain.
5. Bracing: Bracing may be recommended in some cases to provide extra support to the spine and help reduce pain and inflammation. There are many different types of braces available, so it is important to work with a physical therapist to find the best one for your needs.
If you are experiencing back pain or other spine-related problems, it is important to seek medical assistance. However, physical therapy may also be beneficial in relieving your symptoms and improving your overall health. Contact our clinic today for more information on how they may be able to help you!
What is a concussion?
A concussion is defined as a disruption of the normal functioning of the brain usually due to a direct or indirect force to the head.
Is Concussion a brain injury?
Yes. In short, it is a functional injury to the brain, rather than a structural injury.
What do you mean by a functional injury to the brain?
The brain controls many functions of the human body. When these functions are disrupted, the “concussed” person may experience problems with thinking, balance, emotion, and sleep. As a result, they may feel mentally “foggy,” dizzy, nauseated, more emotional, restless, or tired.
What are the signs and symptoms of a concussion?
After sustaining a fall or blow to the head, if one or more of these signs are observed, a concussion is suspected:
If one or more of these symptoms are reported, a concussion is suspected:
Someone must be “knocked out” or lose consciousness to have sustained a concussion, right?
This is a dangerous misconception about concussions. A concussion does not necessarily result in loss of consciousness, nor does the loss of consciousness on its own predict the severity or course of recovery from the concussion.
What should a parent or coach do when they are not sure whether their child or athlete sustained a concussion?
The statement “if in doubt, sit them out” summarizes it best. More specifically, the CDC recommends and California law (AB 2127)* mandates that an athlete suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury is prohibited from returning to the athletic activity until the athlete is evaluated by a licensed health care provider. This educational sheet published by the CDC is an excellent resource for parents and coaches:
What are the health risks of “playing through” a concussion or suspected concussion?
Due to slowed reaction time and impaired judgment, an individual who has not fully recovered from a concussion is at heightened risk to sustain another blow to the head if he or she continues to participate in an athletic event. A repeat concussion sustained before full recovery has occurred can lead to second impact syndrome, which is a serious and life-threatening condition that involves rapid swelling of the brain. Although serious, second impact syndrome is preventable through recognition and proper management of an initial concussion.
How soon can an athlete return to play after sustaining a concussion?
The good news is 85% of individuals recover within 3 weeks of sustaining a concussion. However, there are many factors involved in an individual’s recovery from a concussion. Prior to returning to play, it must first be determined by a licensed health care provider trained in the management of concussion that he or she has returned to their “baseline” or pre-injury state. In addition, the athlete must complete a graduated return to play protocol under the supervision of a licensed health care provider trained in the management of concussion.
Why see a Physical Therapist for a concussion?
A Physical Therapist, trained in the management of concussion, is able to evaluate and provide treatment and education for symptoms of concussion, including headache and dizziness. In addition, a physical therapist’s expertise in exercise and movement allows them to safely and effectively implement the mandatory graduated return to play protocol. A Physical Therapist with training and experience treating concussions can help screen for cognitive (thinking and memory) problems, or visual problems that are amenable to referral to Speech-Language Pathology or Occupational Therapy, respectively.
Why should someone choose Physical Therapy to recover from a concussion?
Our clinics are home to a cutting-edge team of Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapists who are formally trained and experienced in the management of concussion. These expert clinicians have collaborated with local physicians to develop a comprehensive and affordable care model designed to return local high school athletes safely and successfully to sports, academics, and social roles.