In Clinic

Orthopedic Physical Therapy

Most orthopedic injuries are caused by repeated patterns that place consistent, unbalanced stress within your body over a period of time. Of course, there are also single-incidence injuries, but the majority of the time, injuries manifest over time resulting in pain, inflammation, stiffness, weakness, fatigue, frustration, and impaired movement. At Merz Physical Therapy, we work with you to create an environment of healing within your body, to help immediately relieve pain and improve your movement ability using traditional methods of manual therapy and therapeutic exercise. At the same time, we observe and address the “big picture” movement and lifestyle patterns that appear to be the underlying “root cause” contributing to your condition. Using this holistic approach offers the best opportunity to efficiently heal now, while also building resilience and adaptability that can decrease chance of injury in the future.

Underlying our approach is the consistent recognition that you are a unique human being, with unique needs, for your unique case. While we all principally share the same human experience, we feel it is vitally important to understand where you’re coming from and provide therapy that works best for you based on your real-life demands and lifestyle needs. You can come to Merz Physical Therapy with confidence that we will do our best to support your specific needs to allow for maximum healing effect.

When not providing prevention and wellness care, the most common type of rehabilitation we offer includes:

1.  Pre and Post-Surgical Rehabilitation
We treat all orthopedic surgeries…total joint replacement, hip labrum repairs, knee ligament reconstructions, shoulder rotator cuff repairs, meniscus repairs, shoulder labrum repairs, AC joint reconstructions, elbow reconstructions, foot and ankle reconstructions, and much more. We work closely with your surgeon to ensure the best possible outcomes and full return to function. Treatment often begins before the scheduled operation in order to pre-habilitate the injury. This ensures maximum range of motion and strength going into surgery in order to maximize outcomes after.

2.  Non-surgical Injury Rehabilitation
There are many injuries that do not require surgery and can be treated with physical therapy, such as tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, shoulder impingement, lower back pain, hip impingement, hip bursitis, patellofemoral pain syndrome, and cervical radiculopathy. When you come to Merz for your initial evaluation, you will be given a complete working diagnosis and we will identify the faulty biomechanics surrounding the issue. The treatment plan created will incorporate strategies and techniques to correct the biomechanical faults.

3.  Sports Rehab
When working with athletes of all ages and levels, we effectively apply our knowledge of evidence-based Physical Therapy practice and 3-dimensional functional movement to rehab the sports injury; and in the rehab process, we strive to prevent the occurrence of future injuries. We do not practice cookie cutter PT. We incorporate sport-specific movements into your therapeutic exercise to best prepare the neuromuscular system for return to sport.

4.  Athlete Movement Readiness Screening
Therapists at Merz Physical Therapy are experts in 3-dimensional movement assessment, helping you to identify and correct movement patterns that may lead to injury down-the-road. We work with you to develop a training plan to improve your body mechanics and optimize performance. Schedule a 60 minute injury screening to get a detailed personal analysis as well as an advised treatment plan.

If you are not injured, you can still work with a Doctor of Physical Therapy at Merz/Embody. There is no movement expert who can better manage your ongoing wellness and fitness program.