Spine Care

Your success in recovery from surgery depends on your willingness to work hard at home as well as with the therapist. Ideally, the surgery will take you a great deal of the way on the road to recovery, and then you and your therapist can work together to make the recovery the best possible. Our team at VTFC is committed to having the experience and knowledge necessary to provide you with a successful post-surgical rehabilitation experience and getting you back to doing what you do best.

Click here to review full recovery protocol for post-surgical rehab

Cervical spine consists of 7 cervical vertebrae responsible for keeping our head level with the world around us.  As we go about our day our cervical spine is constantly moving to keep our eyes level and facing forward.  This is one reason that our neck is so mobile, having more range of motion than anywhere else in the spine.  Our neck has the important task of supporting our head and our neck muscles work all day long to keep our head well positioned.  Oftentimes cervical symptoms stem from poor posture habits that have weakened the musculature in the neck. The therapists at Virginia Therapy and Fitness Center will work to strengthen the muscles that support the neck, as well as provide exercises to improve range of motion and fix postural imbalances.

The thoracic region can be one of the most uncomfortable places to have pain, sometimes making breathing a painful experience. Our spine-specialty trained physical therapists at Virginia Therapy and Fitness Center understand the complex interactions between our thoracic spine to the neck, shoulders, and low back. We will address any mechanical faults found during the evaluation and provide you with resources to not only return to pain free activities but also to prevent pain from ever returning. If you’re tired of dealing with thoracic pain, let one of our experts in spinal care get you back to a pain free lifestyle.

Common Thoracic Conditions:

• Fractures
• Sprains/Strains

There are many different causes of Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Dysfunction related pain. The source of the pain often originates from nerve irritation, fluid buildup, misalignment of the joint, or micro-tears in the ligaments responsible for providing stability. Most commonly, the SI joint is not the primary source causing pain. Rather, pain in the SI joint is often related to an underlying problem such as facet syndrome, degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, or segmental instability.

Other common causes include trauma, arthritis, pregnancy, and genetic diseases. Trauma, such as a car accident or fall, may cause the joint to move out normal alignment. The SI joint can also degenerate over time leading to bone spur formation, otherwise known as osteoarthritis. Pregnancy is another cause of SI joint related pain due to laxity of surrounding ligaments from production of the hormone progesterone. Other, less common causes include certain genetic diseases such as Ankylosing spondylitis where the SI joint auto fuses together.

Low back pain is one of the most common orthopedic complaints. Most people will suffer from at least one bout of low back pain in their lives, often these will repeat if unaddressed. At Virginia Therapy & Fitness Center, we know presentations and symptoms can vary greatly with low back conditions from a dull ache and stiffness to pain radiating down your leg. Our specialty trained physical therapists can identify and treat the underlying cause of your low back pain better than anyone in Reston, VA and the surrounding area.  Let the experts at VTFC help guide you towards a full recovery and give you the ability to prevent future pain and limitation.    

Scoliosis is a condition which results in an abnormal curvature of the body’s spine.  The curvature is commonly referred to as an “S” or “C” curvature depending on how the spine is affected, and frequently involves a rotational component as well. While scoliosis can be caused by congenital defects at birth or as a secondary result of muscular and neurological diseases, it is most often idiopathic in nature. This means that the cause of the curvature is unknown. The standard of care within the U.S. is often based on the degree of curvature (Cobb angle) as well as the growth phase of the patient, and can include observation of the curvature, bracing, corrective surgery, and scoliosis specific exercises. While the cause of the scoliotic curve may be unknown, there are numerous conservative treatment techniques that can be utilized to slow the curve progression, stop it, or even reverse it. 

Most people seek physical therapy for their neck for a myriad of reasons including: pain, loss of motion, radiating pain down the arm or upper back, arm tingling and sensation changes, arm weakness. Neck pain is common and makes up about 25% of all outpatient orthopedic physical therapy patients. Neck pain increases in frequency as you age, with the greatest frequency occurring in the 50s. About 70% of people will have neck pain at some point in their lives.

Common Neck Conditions:  

• Disc Herniation
• Cervical Radiculopathy
• Central Stenosis
• Foraminal Stenosis
• Cervicogenic Headaches
• Cervical Instability/Spondylolysis