Success stories from Dynamic Sports Physical Therapy in New York City: Acupuncture and physical therapy help Kelsey become pain-free

physical therapy in new york city kelsey

 

Kelsey visited us at Dynamic Sports Physical Therapy in New York City complaining of neck, upper back and shoulder pain after she participated in an intense yoga class.  She told her therapist that she had difficulty looking up, turning her head to the right and rotating her body to the right when standing.  Together, all of those motions created a sharp pain near her right shoulder blade, which led Kelsey’s therapist to diagnose her with right shoulder pain.

Before beginning treatment, Kelsey stated that her primary goal from treatment was to return to independent yoga classes without any pain. During the first two physical therapy sessions, treatment focused on normalizing the range of motion of Kelsey’s upper and mid-back, as well as decreasing the soft tissue tone muscles surrounding her shoulder blade and increasing the strength of her rotator cuff.

After completing these sessions, Kelsey experienced an immediate and significant reduction in her pain levels, and it seemed as if her symptoms would improve quickly. However, although her overall pain level was reduced, physical therapy alone was unable to completely abolish it. In addition, there was a lack of consistency as to what brought about Kelsey’s pain: sometimes rotating her mid-spine to the right was painful, while other times rotating it to the left was painful.

At this point Kelsey’s therapist started to think there was something other than a mechanical problem that was causing her musculoskeletal pain.  With this in mind, she was referred to an acupuncturist. Kelsey’s therapist felt this would be a good addition to her physical therapy, since patients can often open up to emotional problems when in a closed-door acupuncture setting.

Sure enough, upon beginning treatment, the acupuncturist recognized that Kelsey had some emotional issues that were contributing to her physical shoulder pain. Based on this finding, the acupuncturist started adding points for emotional stress during treatments sessions, and eventually Kelsey’s pain went away.

Kelsey had this to say about her treatment experience: “Thanks to the expertise of both Jon and Mila, my shoulder injury has healed tremendously in a very accelerated time frame. I first came in to see Jon where he rehabbed and strengthened my shoulder. He then recommended me to Mila to help support the process from a holistic perspective and I’m so happy he did! I truly feel that the integration of PT and acupuncture is what helped me completely heal.”

How Dynamic Sports Physical Therapy in New York City can address your pain with a similar approach

Kelsey’s story shows that in some cases, the initial treatment approach we take may not be enough, and additional interventions—like acupuncture—may be needed for a complete recovery. At Dynamic Sports Physical Therapy in New York City, we pride ourselves on offering a wide array of treatment services and determining the best combination for each patient’s condition. If you’re dealing with pain of any sort, contact us at 212-317-8303 to schedule an appointment today, and find out how we can address your pain in the most effective manner possible. For more information on emotional stress and pain, read our last blog here.