At Denville Medical, your licensed physical therapist's goal is to maximize your body's structure and increase its overall function for long-term health. To accomplish this, our physical therapists combine traditional and innovative techniques focused on increasing muscle strength and improving the body's range of motion. Our goal is to discover the root cause of your pain or mobility problems. That way, we can address the true reason why you need physical therapy, and work towards achieving long-lasting relief.
Of course, we understand that every patient is different. Your doctor can provide expert care in an encouraging environment by creating a customized treatment plan for you using modern, evidence-based research.
Some common reasons why patients need physical therapy at Denville Medical include:
1.
Sports Injuries Whether you are on the varsity team of your high school football team or a professional athlete, sports injuries are serious business. Our doctors and physical therapists will develop a plan to help you heal properly, so you can get back in the game sooner rather than later.
2.
Pre and Post Operation With decades of combined experience, our physical therapy experts know that there is a time for gentle healing and a time for aggressive physical rehab. Whether you are scheduled for surgery or have recently been released from the hospital, our therapists are here to help you recover, one step at a time.
3.
Neurological Issues At Denville Medical, we treat much more than sports-based injuries. Whether you're suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, or a vestibular problem, our therapists are trained and certified to help you regain your body's optimal functionality.
Life has a habit of throwing us curveballs. Sure, some surprises only hurt your bank account, like expenses around the home. But more serious incidents, like car wrecks, can inflict physical injuries causing long-term pain. Injury-related problems like neck and back pain affect many Americans daily. Even worse, many hardworking people turn to addictive pain medication and invasive surgeries for relief, only to find themselves deeper in a hole.
If you're in chronic pain or suffer from range of motion problems, you should know that options are available for safer, more effective pain relief. One of the most commonly used solutions is physical therapy. The main goal of physical therapy is to maximize your body's mobility and increase overall function. In order to accomplish this, physical therapy techniques focus on improving range of motion and building muscle strength.
Physical therapy helps people of all ages with illnesses, medical conditions, or injuries that limit their mobility and body functionality. At Denville Medical and Sports Rehabilitation Center, our doctors and physical therapists create customized physical therapy programs to help patients reclaim their lives.
When combined with diet and exercise, many patients are able to enjoy activities that they only thought possible with youth.
Some of the most common techniques that physical therapists use to help patients include:
From improper ergonomics at your office desk to injuries sustained in car wrecks, neck pain is a widespread problem. Taking the proper preventative steps to deal with pain provides relief and can prevent the need for surgery or medication.
Generally, there are two kinds of neck pain: chronic and acute. Acute pain shouldn't last for more than six weeks, while chronic pain can last months or even years. Physical therapy is one of the most recommended treatments for neck pain. Treatments often involve reducing neck exercise, strength training, and stretching. If you're suffering from acute or chronic neck pain, it's important to have tests done by a physical therapist to determine the extent of your injury.
Neck pain is caused by a wide range of problems, like:
After identifying the underlying cause of your condition, your physical therapist will develop a comprehensive treatment to address your pain and provide long-term relief.
Back pain is one of the leading causes of disability in America. Back pain can start innocuously as a small muscle ache but can quickly become a more serious problem that disrupts daily life. Like neck pain, the best way to address the issue is to understand the root cause so that surgery is avoided.
Also like neck pain, back pain is either chronic (longer than six weeks) or acute (less than six weeks). Back pain can be caused by a number of events, like lifting a heavy item or simply sitting wrong for too long. To determine the extent of your injuries, you will need one or more diagnostic tests, like X-rays or MRI scans. Once the root cause of your condition is revealed, your physical therapist will work with Denville Medical doctors to create a treatment plan tailored to your body.
Common conditions linked to back pain include:
Experiencing a herniated disc is something most people dread, but many have to endure. Luckily, PT plays a significant role in herniated disc recovery. Physical therapy not only provides immediate pain relief, it teaches patients how to condition their bodies to avoid worse injuries.
At Denville Medical, our physical therapists and doctors have years of experience helping patients rehabilitate from herniated discs. Patients benefit from several time-tested techniques to relieve pain.
After diagnostic testing, active and passive treatments can include:
Do your hips feel uneven or misaligned? Do you suffer from hip stiffness or pain when the weather changes? Are you having trouble getting around the house like you used to? Your hips bear most of your weight, so it's no surprise that hip pain is very common among Americans.
Fortunately, physical therapy has been proven to provide relief for people dealing with acute or chronic hip pain. As with other forms of pain, you will need diagnostic testing to determine the extent of your hip problems.
Some common causes of hip pain include:
Once your hip issues are properly diagnosed, it's time to find relief. Denville Medical & Sports Rehabilitation Center offers several custom solutions, including acupuncture, chiropractic care, and personalized physical therapy.
Like hip pain, knee pain is a common condition in the U.S. and affects millions of people every year. Pain in the knee is caused by many things, including strains, injuries, age, and repetitive trauma. Sometimes, there's no apparent reason for knee pain. When it occurs, you may experience limited knee functionality, like difficulty standing, walking, sitting, and walking up and down stairs.
There are many conditions associated with knee pain, including:
If you notice symptoms like clicking or popping sounds, locking, inflammation, or sharp pains in your knee, physical therapy might be your best bet for relief.
Sometimes, surgery is the only option a patient can choose to alleviate pain from injuries and accidents. When this is the case, physical therapy plays a vital role before and after surgery.
To help you get a better sense of the scope of our physical therapy treatments, we're listing some of the most frequently asked questions that we receive at Denville Medical:
Answer : While some physical therapists rely on outdated techniques to treat patients, our team uses a combination of tried-and-true methods and modern strategies, including:
Answer : During your first visit with our physical therapist, we will complete a series of tests and screenings to establish a baseline for your care. You can expect to complete stability screenings, strength tests, and computerized range of motion tests. These tests ensure your doctor understands how your muscles are functioning. Once complete, your therapist will create a custom treatment plan for your physical therapy, so we can move forward with your care. During your time at Denville Medical, you should expect adjustments to your treatment plan as you make progress.
Answer : We get this question a lot, and we can certainly understand why. Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with an exact answer because every patient has different needs relating to their injuries and issues. Your level of stability and functionality depends on your condition, your goals, and your motivation to heal. For acute pain, patients typically experience relief in 2-3 weeks. Patients with forms of chronic pain usually feel optimal results after their first full course of therapy (4-6 weeks). Since our goal is to achieve maximum medical improvement, our doctors continuously monitor your progress and adjust treatment accordingly.
Whether you're dealing with chronic knee pain or acute back pain, relief is in sight. Rather than dangerous medicines and invasive surgeries, we specialize in non-surgical treatments like physical therapy. Our team of physical therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and primary care doctors have years of experience and work hand-in-hand to give you real pain relief.
If you're sick and tired of living life full of physical pain, now is the time to act. Don't let your body deteriorate â find your new lease on life at Denville Medical and Sports Rehabilitation Center.
973-627-7888Chatham football player Tommy Douglas is the Chatham Wealth Management Athlete of the WeekPhoto Credit: TAP ChathamChatham tight end Tommy Douglas with the ball after a catchPhoto Credit: Glenn ClarkTommy Douglas (5) and Michael MacAniff after a Chatham touchdown in overtime vs. Warren HillsPhoto Credit: Glenn ClarkTommy Douglas gets up for the pass from Will Allen in the state playoff win vs. Wayne ValleyPhoto Credit: Glenn ClarkChatham football player Tommy Douglas is the Chatham Wealth Management Athlete of the...
Chatham football player Tommy Douglas is the Chatham Wealth Management Athlete of the WeekPhoto Credit: TAP Chatham
Chatham tight end Tommy Douglas with the ball after a catchPhoto Credit: Glenn Clark
Tommy Douglas (5) and Michael MacAniff after a Chatham touchdown in overtime vs. Warren HillsPhoto Credit: Glenn Clark
Tommy Douglas gets up for the pass from Will Allen in the state playoff win vs. Wayne ValleyPhoto Credit: Glenn Clark
Chatham football player Tommy Douglas is the Chatham Wealth Management Athlete of the WeekPhoto Credit: TAP Chatham
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By Ed Barmakian
Published November 7, 2024 at 10:16 AM
CHATHAM, NJ – Tommy Douglas admits he was getting bullied a little bit on the football field as a 15-year-old sophomore linebacker for Chatham last season, butting helmets with the likes of Mount Olive's Aidan Lynch, now playing at Virginia Tech.
“That was my welcome to the varsity moment,” Douglas said. “I was running into offensive linemen who were 260. I weighed 180 and was getting bullied out there. I knew I needed to have an advantage coming into this season. We had great summer training to get in shape; I never had done anything like that before. We ran as a team almost every day, did change-of-direction drills, and lifted three or four times a week.”
Douglas went from 6-3, 180 to a much stronger 6-4, 210, and it's made a difference in his game, where he's now the one administering the hits, not taking them.
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“I got a lot of reps last year on the varsity field and it's paying off," he said. "I love being a part of any position, but linebacker is really fun. You get to deliver the blow and be the hammer. ”
That's the role Douglas played last Friday night when he collected nine tackles, including a hit that forced a fumble (see below) that he recovered in the third quarter of Chatham's 24-7 win vs. Wayne Valley.
Douglas played a key role when the Cougars shut out Wayne Valley in the second half and held the Indians to 33 yards rushing for the game, an average of just two yards per carry. The win broke a nine-year postseason win drought for Chatham.
Tommy Douglas is the Chatham Wealth Management Athlete of the Week.
“Tommy is a great kid who has a really high football IQ; he understands the game and he's also a leader even though he's only a junior,” Chatham head coach Evan Picariello said. "He has really good leadership qualities. Even though he was a sophomore last year, he was taking to the technique we were teaching him and showing it on the field.
“He was a little overmatched physically but he still played very well in spots, especially on defense where we used him. This year, he's a two-way player for us and he's a stud. He's one of our best linebackers, we utilize him as a blocking tight end and a receiving threat. You throw a jump ball to a 6-4 kid, you're in good shape.”
So far, Douglas has nine catches from the tight end position, but when Chatham lines him up wide, it draws extra attention from the opposing defense, and rightly so.
“Tommy is a terrific athlete,” Todd Pivnick, Chatham's offensive coordinator, said. “He has a lot of potential and as the year has gone on, he's grown more and more into his body. Every game he just gets better and better.”
In its seven wins this season, Chatham (7-2) has held opponents to seven points or fewer in six of them. Douglas has been highly active in the defensive scheme that has improved the Cougars' defense against the run.
“In our defensive structure right now, he's an outside linebacker, but he's very versatile, he could be a defensive end, he could be a stand-up outside linebacker or he could be an inside linebacker,” Picariello said. “There are three positions he fits the mold for defensively.”
Against Wayne Valley, Chatham held a 14-7 lead at the halftime break and that's when Douglas and his teammates decided that there would be no more points scored against them.
“We said, ‘if they don’t score, they can't win,” Douglas said. “They had 8 plays in the third quarter. There wasn't really a lot of pressure on us. We just needed to get the job done. We didn't feel like underdogs.”
In addition to his defense, which helps Chatham get the ball in the hands of senior quarterback Will Allen and the offense, a more subtle contribution is his blocking at tight end.
“He's forced a lot of turnovers and made a lot of tackles, which keeps the defense off the field and gets us on the field,” Allen said. “Blocking, he's opened up a lot of holes for me, Al (McWilliams) and Caden (Gabriele).”
Douglas has been playing football in Chatham since he was in sixth grade and it was pretty much a given that he'd be playing the sport as the son of Jets GM Joe Douglas. His father was an offensive tackle at the University of Richmond, where he played 45 consecutive games for the Spiders.
“He wanted me to be an offensive lineman,” the 16-year-old said. “I have a lot of passion for the sport. There is a lot of stress in the family during the football season.”
Douglas, who also plays baseball at CHS, won't turn 17 until late April. A year ago, his birthday fell on the day of the NFL draft.
Editor's note: The Athlete of the Week is sponsored by Chatham Wealth Management in recognition of the commitment a Chatham athlete has made to their sport, their school and their community. For over twenty years, Chatham Wealth Management has been committed to putting our clients first by crafting customized investment solutions. Call us at 973-635-4275 or email us at [email protected] to discuss how we can help meet your financial goals. To learn more about our products and team, visit us at www.chathamwealth.com.