Physical Medicine


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Why Choose Physical Medicine?

A Message from Dr. Todaro

Physical injuries and conditions need to be treated, for the most part, with physical solutions. While medications may provide some pain relief, they will never actually fix the root cause of the condition. Traditional chiropractors will spend most of their time and focus on the correction of joint restrictions or “subluxations”. They are not wrong but I feel that for most patients, the issue is not isolated to the joint. Every joint is surrounded by soft tissues, (ligaments, muscles, nerves, etc.), that are usually involved in the patient’s condition. To ignore them and their role in the problem and the healing process is inadequate at best.

The physical medicine we perform in my office is a combination of passive treatment; chiropractic mobilization, manipulation, stretching, trigger point work and massage therapy. This is paired with active treatment, such as therapeutic exercise in office and at home. Current research shows that by combining the passive and active therapies, patients get better results in a shorter amount of time.

For the majority of conditions that I treat the protocol is similar and will contain the following fundamentals:

1) Contain the problem to keep it from getting worse. This is done with passive modalities like heat/ ice, electric stimulation, therapeutic ultrasound, etc... and hands on work.

2) Using the therapy process (stretching, mobilizing, massage, etc.), we will get blood perfusion throughout the injury site in a safe and effective way, so that your body will heal itself. At the same time, we will prevent or limit secondary injuries which commonly accompany a primary injury within a short amount of time.

3) Repetition of this process will stimulate a fairly complete healing process. With the exception of serious accidents or surgical rehabilitation, most new injuries or flare-ups of previous injuries can be corrected in 1- 3 weeks. Follow-up recommendations and arrangements will be made so that your injury does not re-occur.

If the “physical medicine” process makes sense to you, please don’t hesitate to call me today. I know I can help you.

Sincerely, Dr. Brad Todaro

Chiropractic Management of Most Disorders (neck, back, hip, knee, shoulder, etc…)

Table 1: Frequency and Duration for Initial (Trial) Course of Chiropractic Treatments

Stage of Condition Frequency Duration Re-evaluate after:
Acute 3x weekly 2 - 4 weeks 2 - 4 weeks
Sub - Acute 3x weekly 2 - 4 weeks 2 - 4 weeks
Chronic 2 - 3x weekly 2 - 4 weeks 2 - 4 weeks
Recurrent / Flare-up 1 - 3x weekly 1 - 2 weeks 1 - 2 weeks


An initial course of chiropractic treatment typically includes one or more “passive” (i.e. non-exercise) manual therapeutic procedures (i.e. spinal manipulation or mobilization) and physiotherapeutic modalities for pain reduction, in addition to patient education designed to reassure and instill optimal concepts for independent management. The initial visits allow the doctor to explain that the clinician and the patient must work as a pro-active team and to outline the patient’s responsibilities. While passive care methods for pain or discomfort may be initially emphasized, “Active” (i.e. exercise) care should be increasingly integrated to increase function and return the patient to regular activities.

Patients are asked to follow an anti- inflammatory type diet while undergoing treatment to both minimalize the potential effects of poor diets slowing down the healing process and maximize the body’s ability to heal with the assistance of proper nutrients coming in. Nutritional supplements can help in this process and are available here.

Pain Management Using Low Level Laser Therapy

The use of LLLT in the management of physical pain conditions is a different approach than the traditional “hands on” approach by myself and other chiropractors. It can be utilized several different ways. One, as a first round of treatment option by itself or two, if another form of treatment or therapy yields insufficient results. It can also be used in conjunction with other forms of active and passive therapies in our office and will vary on a case by case basis.

To date, research is showing that acute conditions respond to laser therapy in about 4-6 treatments and chronic conditions in about 6-12 treatments. I recommend utilizing the laser therapy in 3 treatment packages done weekly.

Patients receiving this therapy are also asked to follow an anti-inflammatory diet for a better chance of positive results.

Some typical conditions treated but not a complete list

  • Neck/ Back/ Extremity Joint Pain
  • Arm/ Leg numbness & tingling
  • Sciatica
  • Pre/Post-surgical rehab for neck/ back/ shoulder/ knee
  • Carpal Tunnel
  • Fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions
  • Whiplash
  • Hip/ Knee/ Ankle Injury
  • Lower back pain
  • Headaches
  • Disc conditions including degeneration and discitis
  • Auto Accidents
  • Shoulder/ elbow/ wrist pain
  • Facet Syndrome
  • Hip/ Knee/ Ankle Injury
  • Sports Injuries

Waterdam Physical Medicine

Address

4160 Washington Rd Suite 207
McMurray, PA 15317

Hours

Monday  

8:30 am - 7:00 pm

Tuesday  

Closed

Wednesday  

8:30 am - 7:00 pm

Thursday  

Closed

Friday  

8:30 am - 7:00 pm

Saturday  

9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Sunday  

Closed

Dr. Li's Office Hours

Monday  

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Tuesday  

8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Wednesday  

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Thursday  

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Friday  

2:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Saturday  

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Sunday  

Closed

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