Tools We Use for the Recovery Program |
For a description and images of our equipment and tools, scroll down the page or use the links below. For a larger image, just click on the thumbnails displayed below.
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Functional Capacity Evaluation
A Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) is a systematic process of objectively assessing a person’s ability to perform work related tasks. It allows us to determine an individual's physical capacities and functional abilities as well as the patient’s ability to perform their activities of daily living. It helps establish the patient’s ability to return to work or to establish a baseline of function. |
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X-Ray Machine
X-rays are typically taken when the doctor suspects a fracture, infection, tumor, or any other form of pathology. X-rays provide a good insight into the osseous (bone) alignment, structure and integrity. |
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Physiotherapy
Grand Chiropractic uses a variety of physiotherapy techniques as part of treatment. These include:
- Intersegmental Traction, which helps mobilize the spinal column and gently stretches the ligaments and muscles. It also aids in increasing blood flow and oxygen to the intervertebral discs, ligaments and muscles.
- Diathermy, a high frequency heat treatment which heats the tissues, in turn increasing the blood flow to them. Diathermy helps accelerate the recovery process, as well as decrease pain. Diathermy helps with conditions such as sprains (ligament injuries), strains (muscular injuries), and bursitis, to name a few. Due to its heating properties, diathermy is not used in acute (recent) trauma or injuries. Some of the other conditions diathermy has been used to treat include: arthritis, sinusitis and stiff painful joints.
- Electrical stimulation, which is also known as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). TENS is used primarily to relieve pain. When used, it causes an involuntary muscle contraction, which helps reduce pain and promote healing when the muscle has been injured or is diseased.
- Myofascial Release, which is a hands-on technique that provides sustained pressure into muscular adhesions/restrictions to eliminate pain and restore motion and function. It is very effective, and can provide a significant amount of relief within a few treatments.
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Gym
Grand Chiropractic has several machines that help patients strengthen and condition large muscle groups
- Bench press
- Incline press
- Should press
- Mid row
- Leg extension
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- Leg curl
- Ab crunches
- Inner thigh abduction
- Gluteal kick
- Upright row
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- Biceps curl
- Preacher curl
- Lat pull down
- Leg press
- Toe raises
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- Triceps push down
- Back hyperextension
- Pectoral fly
- Outer thigh abduction
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Bicycle
This machine exercises the lower extremities, helping to increase cardiovascular function and endurance. The machine has a variety of protocols. |
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N.M.R. Saddle
Neuromuscular re-education is a therapeutic technique that is used to improve balance, coordination, posture, kinesthetic sense and proprioception. Treatment may include balance exercises, along with postural challenging may be used to evaluate stability. |
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Elliptical
Aerobic exercise for upper and lower extremities helps increase cardiovascular function and endurance. Our elliptical machine has a variety of resistance protocols. |
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TheraBands
Multiple color TheraBands are used to rehabilitate muscle and joint injuries, as well as for aerobics and general conditioning. The progressive resistance system makes it easy to measure the patient's progress in achieving therapy and fitness goals. Using TheraBands can improve the cooperation of muscle groups and also works on strength and range of motion. The TheraBand's unique properties allow it to be stretched and relaxed in a smooth and consistent manner, preventing the bounce at the end of a range of motion exercise that can cause muscle spasms. |
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Negative Weight
Multiple boxes with varying weights are used to increase the body's strength and condition in handling dynamic lifting, carrying, and reaching above, at and below shoulder level. |
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Darts
Throwing darts from various distances stresses the shoulder joint range of motion. It also requires prolonged standing. This exercise is an excellent simulation for improving fine motor control and gives instant feedback when looking at transfer of dominance. |
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Pipetree
The pipetree consists of various lengths of threaded pipe, connectors and base plates. A base plate is securely bolted to a stationary foundation and the patient builds on the base using various size pipes and couplings. The pipetree is used to address a number of work demands, including reaching, strength and endurance for tool handling, overhead reaching and lifting, and the ability to work in various body postures. |
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Typing & Synthesizer
Sitting at a typewriter addresses sitting tolerance, posture, safety and the ability to follow instructions. The patient is expected to have improvements in quality and quantity of output, as well as gain the ability to tolerate progressively more complicated tasks.
The synthesizer is used to address sitting and standing tolerance and posture. It is ideal for developing hand-eye coordination and fine motor control. |
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Functional Training
Functional Training allows strength training to be more applicable to the everyday movements of the human body, as well as sports specific training. It helps build strength, as well as improves coordination and balance.
This type of exercise helps build a strong core, which is important in the stability of the body, proper function and injury prevention. The functional trainer recruits multiple muscle groups, which helps to further stabilize and train multiple muscles and joints to work together. |
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Shoulder Bars
Range-of-motion exercises help increase mobility and decrease pain when there is a shoulder issue. |
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Shoulder Wheel
The Shoulder Wheel, which can be adjusted up and down to best match a patient's height, improves circulation, muscle strength and joint range-of-motion. The variable-resistance wall unit measures and increases shoulder range of motion. The handle location can be moved to adjust arc of motion from 10" to 39" diameter, which helps especially in post surgical cases and acute shoulder injuries where we need to start slowly. |
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Hand Bike
The stationary upper extremity hand bike is used to address upper extremity strength, endurance and range of motion. Our machine has a variety of resistance protocols. |
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Building Blocks
Small and large blocks are used to increase strength, endurance and condition the body to handle dynamic lifting, carrying and gross handling, as well as reaching above, at and below shoulder level. Used to promote strength and endurance, and to simulate work activity, building blocks gives patients the opportunity to perform repetitive medium and gross dexterity tasks in a setting that requires full body range of motion. |
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Simulated Boxing
With simulated boxing, the patient has to use bilateral upper extremities continuously. This promotes continuous reaching to build tolerance for repetitive work. |
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Assembly
Using a variety of table-top devices, such as Legos, hand blogs, pegs and more, the patient can work on improving manual dexterity. With these devices, the patient performs activities that require repetitive hand activities, finger manipulation, and finger gripping. The activity also requires prolonged sitting, or standing, depending on which task is required of the employee. The patient is required to maintain prolonged neck flexion as well. Proper posture and biomechanics are addressed, as well as any relevant ergonomic issues. |
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Janitorial
Janitorial exercises range from emptying wastebaskets to sweeping, vacuuming and picking up trash with an arm extender (pictured). These tasks promote physical tolerance, proper body mechanics and posture, pacing skills, prolonged standing, reaching below shoulder level and prolonged neck flexion. |
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Theraputty
Ideal for developing hand-muscle strength and increasing endurance, theraputty helps patients gently increase range of motion and reduce stiffness. The putty is color coded, so as the patient's strength and endurance increases, he or she graduates to a putty that has a higher resistance. |
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Grippers
Grippers challenge each finger individually with its own spring-loaded button. This unique exerciser allows the patient to develop isolated finger strength, flexibility and coordination, while hand and forearm strength develops. The ergonomic handle fits comfortably in the palm and five graduated resistance levels are available. Color coding not only provides quick identification, but also positive reinforcement as the patient advances from one color to the next. |
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Gaming
A variety of games, both electronic and otherwise, are used to address sitting and standing tolerance and posture. They are ideal for developing hand-eye coordination and fine motor control. |
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Medicine Balls
With the medicine balls, patients can perform general and specific body conditioning exercises, both isolations and multi-joint exercises. In addition, there are exercises that can be part of a dynamic warm-up exercise routine, which can be performed prior to extremity and trunk strengthening exercises. All the exercises are designed to strengthen specific body parts and develop general body strength and condition. The weight ranges from 4 to 12 lbs. |
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Power-Web® Exercisers
The rubber webbing of each exerciser offers varying degrees of resistance and elasticity to improve strength and range of motion. This tool can be used to strengthen one or multiple fingers. |
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Shoveling Work Station
The Shoveling Work Station is designed for the performance of repetitive tasks. The multiple shelf heights allow a varied range of motion for arms, shoulders, legs and back which simulate on-the-job duties, easily permitting the doctor to evaluate a patient's performance. |
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Step
The step is used for conditioning activities where the patient is required to climb or descends steps. On occasion, depending on the patient’s progress, these may be performed with added weight, to simulate the tasks at work. |
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Velcro Rolls
This table-top device is composed of multiple gripping, twisting and torquing activities which help improve manual dexterity of the fingers, hands and elbows. It helps improve the range of motion of fingers, wrists and elbows, as well as strengthens gripping, grasping, torquing and twisting abilities. |
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Workbench
This activity allows a large array of movement, including nailing studs, sanding wood, hammering, inserting screws into wood, installing/removing nuts and bolts, sawing, and more. This tool is used to simulate multiple work tasks, especially those requiring repetitive hand use. |
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