Physical Therapy

Patient Care – What to Expect

We offer comprehensive support to help patients overcome a wide variety of injuries. We’ll work with you to determine your health goals – whether that’s getting back to running or getting back to work – and help you achieve them. Here’s why patients choose us:

• One-on-one therapy: When you make an appointment with us, our time is 100% devoted to you. You won’t share your session with a group or with another patient.
• Integrated care: Patients who are evaluated and diagnosed at Atrium Health can move smoothly into physical therapy at Carolinas Rehabilitation. We work closely with Atrium Health providers to understand where you started and what your physical therapy should include.
• Inpatient support: If you’re at the hospital and need inpatient physical therapy, we’re here for you. Our experts use specialized facilities and equipment to help you get stronger and re-learn essential skills like walking. Then we’ll develop a plan to make it easier for you to transition home.
• Support groups: We have support groups for patients with conditions like Parkinson's disease and stroke. We also have group gym activities where patients can work out and socialize together.
• Running Clinic: We see many patients who have running-related injuries and questions. We take a video of you running on the treadmill, evaluate your stride and technique, and teach you ways to run more efficiently and reduce your risk of injury. We also offer a Sports Metric program for athletes to help prevent injury and improve performance.

What We Treat

Our therapists help patients of all ages manage all types of injuries and illnesses. Common conditions we treat include:

• Balance problems
• Dizziness and vertigo
• Headaches
• Issues related to Parkinson’s, stroke and brain or spinal cord injury
• Jaw and facial pain
• Lymphedema
• Neck, back, shoulder, elbow, hand, wrist, hip, knee, foot and ankle pain
• Pelvic disorders
• Sports-related injuries

Physical Therapy Treatments

We’ll work with you to understand your exact condition and create a custom treatment plan to help you manage it. At Carolinas Rehabilitation, physical therapy includes:

Exercise and strength training

At its core, physical therapy (PT) is about finding exercises that help you overcome injuries and build fitness and strength. We’ll evaluate your condition, ask about your goals and look for habits or weaknesses that contribute to injury. We’ll select exercises tailored to you, guide you through them and teach you how to do them at home. This will help you get back to your daily routine and favorite activities.

Innovative therapies

We also use the latest techniques and therapies to help relieve pain, reduce swelling and increase mobility, including:

• Dry needling to ease muscle pain. A trained specialist will look for trigger points – areas of tense, knotted muscle that contribute to pain and insert a thin needle into those areas. This can stimulate your tissue and reduce pain. We also offer dry needling as a standalone service.
• Moist heat therapy, using heat to relax sore muscles, joints and ligaments.
• Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), using electrical pulses to help improve strength and mobility in your muscles.
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), using low-dose electrical currents to relieve pain.
• Vasopneumatic compression therapy, using a boot or sleeve to reduce swelling in the arms and legs, typically after surgery or injury.

Your Care Team

Our physical therapists have received the highest levels of training and accreditation. Our team includes:

• Certified manual therapists who use manual therapy (“hands-on” techniques such as your therapist lifting your arm or leg) to increase your mobility. They also do soft tissue and joint mobilizations and spinal manipulations, which help relieve pain and improve function in your muscles and joints.
• Certified neurologic specialists who help patients with conditions that impact their nervous system, such as multiple sclerosis or stroke.
• Geriatric clinical specialists who specialize in providing the most advanced care to older adults.
• Orthopedic clinical specialists who help patients with musculoskeletal injuries.

You may also work with specialists from other departments, including:

• Occupational therapists who help you or your loved one gain back lost independence in routine living after experiencing an illness or injury.
• Speech therapists who can prevent, assess and diagnose speech and communication issues.
• Social workers who support families by helping them find financial assistance, connecting them with support groups and more.