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.

Custom Orthotics

Do you have flat feet, high arches, or a tendency to pronate? Are you experiencing pain in your low back, knees, ankles, or feet? Have you been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, neuroma, or heel spurs? If you have any of these conditions, you could be a candidate for custom orthotics. Whether you want to run pain-free or simply to get through your day without discomfort, our custom orthotics might be the solution! SCAR offers a full range of orthotic products.

Custom Orthotics Options

Customized for you to fit your unique needs, we provide various types of orthotics, including:

• Custom or semi-custom
• Semi-rigid
• Soft
• Athletic
• Shoe-specific
• Activity-specific

What to Expect

During your first visit, our certified professional will assess your walking gait and the structure of your feet. You will discuss your needs and goals. For wholly customized orthotics, we use a state-of-the-art scanning system to create a 3D digital file of your foot instead of a messy plaster cast or a potentially inaccurate foam impression box. We upload your foot file to a precision milling device that produces an exact replica on which the orthotic shell is molded to suit your unique needs. When your orthotics are complete, you return for a follow up visit to try them out and to receive personalized instructions. You also take home your foot molds so that you may order additional orthotics in the future for a reduced price.

For semi-custom options, we provide the same evaluation and adjust a high quality orthotic product to your specific needs, which you take home the same day. This is a lower cost alternative to fully custom orthotics. Furthermore, semi-custom orthotics are a better option than off-the-shelf shoe inserts, which could actually worsen your condition.

Our pricing is competitive. For more information and to schedule your orthotics appointment, please call 714-633-7227 or email info@scarfitness.com.

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!

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.

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.

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: 

• Orthopedic and sports injuries
• Pre/post surgical rehabilitation
• Back and neck injuries/pain
• Work injuries
• Auto accident injuries

The benefits of physical therapy include: 

• Relief of pain and muscle spasms
• Improved mobility and increased range of motion
• Increased or maintained strength and endurance
• Decreased swelling and inflammation of joints
• Decreased physical stresses

At Greater Therapy Centers our licensed physical therapists use stretching and soft tissue mobilization (STM) to help restore function to injured muscles and tissue. STM uses stretching and deep pressure to break up fibrous muscle tissue, also called myofascial adhesions, relax muscle tension and move fluids trapped in the tissues. With this technique our certified physical therapists will determine the area causing the greatest discomfort and work to restore the tissue to its normal texture. This can be done with a variety of tools.

Types of soft tissue mobilization include:

• Strain – Counterstrain
• ASTYM – Graston Technique
• Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD)
• Manual traction
• Trigger Point Therapy / Myofascial Release
• Cross friction

The benefits of soft tissue mobilization include:

• Reduction in pain
• Regeneration of soft tissue
• Increased mobility
• Improve function
• Faster recovery

What conditions can be treated with soft tissue mobilization?

• Ankle sprains
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Chronic back pain
• Chronic neck pain
• Hip pain
• Knee pain
• Muscle sprains and strains
• Plantar fasciitis
• Scar Tissue
• Shoulder pain
• Shin splints
• Tendinitis
• Post-surgical scarring
• Epicondylitis
• De Quervain’s tenosynovitis

Is stretching and soft tissue mobilization safe?

When performed by a licensed physical therapist soft tissue mobilization is a safe and effective form of physical therapy.

Dry needling is technique used by physical therapists to treat myofascial pain and soft tissue dysfunction. The term “dry” means a needle that does not have medicine or injection, therefore, dry needling refers to inserting a needle without medication into a muscle or tendon. The goal of dry needling is to increase range of motion and decrease pain. Dry needling is typically used in conjunction with other therapy techniques to help relieve pain and restore proper function of the muscle. Dry needling can also be referred to as functional dry needling or intramuscular manual therapy.

What conditions are treated with dry needling?

Dry needling can be used to treat a variety of musculoskeletal disorders by helping to relax muscle trigger points. Dry needling is an appropriate therapy to treat:

• Neck pain
• Back pain
• Shoulder pain
• Knee pain
• Ankle pain
• Hamstring problems
• Headaches
• Shin splints
• Sports injuries
• Muscle tightness

Is dry needling safe?

Since dry needling involves inserting needles directly into the muscle many people experience immediate relief and are able to move more freely. Dry needling is as safe as most other treatments used by a therapist who is properly trained in using the technique.