Physical Therapy Services

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"My experiences at Physical Therapy Specialties have been extremey positive. The staff is kind, courteous and competent. I suffer from Fibromyalgia pain, which is sometimes severe and affects many areas of my body. The treatments I have received have enabled me to become almost apin-free - sometime that I've never experienced with any other therapist or chiropractor."

Mary Smith
Livermore, California

"I have seen steady improvement as a result of therapy. Walking has gotten easier. My foot is slowly getting more flexible. Pain has reduced and my endurance has increased. Karen is awesome."

L. E.
Pleasanton, California

"Physical Therapy has helped me with these: I live with much less pain. Taught me valuable exercises to strengthen my muscles and help me have control over my discomfort. PT helps me NOT have to take medicine on a regular basis. It (PT) gives me the tools to feel better. I learn how my body works so I can avoid pain. Physical Therapy has changed my life for the better."

J. Nibert
Pleasanton, California

"I began to see changes 2 weeks into my sessions. I have been able to resume the activities that were previously difficult for me. I would recommend PT for anyone! I love it."

J.G.

"Before I wasn't able to lift my arm or do any everyday activity such as driving, typing, etc. without pain. Since, I have started physical Therapy, my pain had left due to all the treatment that was offered to me. This was a very successful recovery for me."

A.A.

"I am 3 months post L5-S1 fusion and decompression. After 6 weeks of therapy my fusion area is 150% and strong. I can sit without pain. I am pain free and able to move my toes. I am pleased to get comprehensive care thorough instruction, mobilization and individualized treatment to achieve total pain containment."

L. Armstrong

"Involved in a car accident, which caused significant back and neck trauma. Using combination of methodologies, PTS has been able to reduce pain threshold of impacted areas, improved range of motion, and functionality. I am impressed with the care/talent exhibited by the staff. Very flexible with scheduling and feel there was no loss in continuity/improvement when I saw a different Physical Therapist. All were excellent."

M.P.

"After just a few weeks I am feeling progress from the Therapy sessions. One of the biggest changes is that I'm now able to sleep or lay on my right side, which I have not been able to do for MONTHS. The mobilization or gliding treatments have made the most difference. Also, the prescribed exercises for home use are helping quite a bit. I have always been an advocate of PT and I pleased with the service here."

D. Medina

"Since coming to PTS I've started to take on some of the duties I used to do before the injury. Pain has decreased and my range of motion has increased. Stephen has taught me some really good stretches and strength-training exercises, which are helping out a lot... things are improving."

A. Laton

Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD)

Temporomandibular Anatomy Temporomandibular disorder (TMD), is a term that describes an entire group of disorders involving the temporomandibular joint or joints (TMJ).

The TMJs are the jaw joints. There is one on each side of your head just in front of your ear canals. Like many other joints in the body, they consist of:

Muscles that control joint movement,
Ligaments that hold the bones together,
Cartilage that provides a smooth surface for the bones to move on,
A disc that helps with proper movement, of the bones,
Elastic tissue that helps hold the disc in place.

One or more of the above tissues can cause symptoms. In fact, studies suggest that one third of the population at any one time experiences TMJ symptoms such as pain with chewing, yawning, or jaw opening. Women seem to have TMJ problems much more often than men and it is estimated that 3-6% of the population might benefit from treatment.

There are a variety of temporomandibular disorders. The muscles (myogenous), joint(s) (arthrogenous), or a combination of the two may cause pain.

Since physical therapists treat muscle and joint problems, they are ideally suited to address a TMD. Moreover, a majority of patients diagnosed with TMD, also have associated neck pain. Both respond well to treatment provided by a physical therapist. No other healthcare practitioner is better suited to address both the TMD and neck pain.

TMD may appear to be a complex condition and it shouldn't be. This website and your physical therapist can help to insure the following:

You are properly educated,
That your treatment is conservative, cost-effective, and reversible,
Goals are realistic,
Your examination is brief and meant to identify your source(s) of pain.

When a physical therapist performs the examination, they will be able to classify you as having one or more of the following:

An inflammatory condition
Limited jaw range of motion
Excessive jaw range of motion
Arthrogenous Disc Displacement
Jaw muscle pain
Neck pain causing related headaches (sometimes mistaken as TMD)

Once the involved structures are identified, the therapist will be able to provide you with the appropriate treatment.

Possible Treatments