Why Ascend?
Traditional physical therapy focuses on achieving normative values (strength, range of motion and pain levels) through use of modalities and exercise. Ascend Physical Therapy focuses on hands-on, functional manual therapy techniques to improve the patients’ mechanical efficiency, neuro-muscular control and finally, motor control with the goal to achieve optimal function post injury. This approach is a systematic integration of soft tissue and joint mobilization with the dynamic principles and procedures of Proprioceptive Neuro-Facilitation (PNF) for mobilization, stabilization, and neuromuscular re-education. Recognized as an Outpatient Neurological Facility, we have the capacity to provide 1 on 1 treatment sessions to all patients and we integrate our understanding of the human nervous system to their mechanical deficiencies to achieve the greatest functional potential.
Our Treatment Philosophy
We believe every patient has an untapped potential that we can help achieve. Instead of focusing on the pain, we focus on the root of the problem. The body must be treated as a dynamically, interconnected system and educating our patients to understand this connection is key to improving overall function.
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Our Doctors of Physical Therapy receive their training from the Institute of Physical Arts (IPA), a professional development organization founded by Greg and Vicky Johnson. The IPA’s integrated Functional Manual Therapy curriculum prepares clinicians to methodically and systematically evaluate and treat individuals using advanced clinical reasoning. Functional Manual Therapy is rooted in the observational assessment of human kinesiology and individual outcomes secondary to manual therapy interventions such as joint mobilization, soft tissue mobilization and proprioceptive neuro-facilitation.
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Functional Efficiency is achieved by evaluating and treating for:
MECHANICAL CAPACITY refers to the quality and excursion of movement and the ability to attain functional postures. This includes mobility of joints (arthrokinematics, osteokinematics, and accessory motions) and soft tissues (skin, muscles, connective tissues, neurovascular structures).
NEUROMUSCULAR FUNCTION refers to the neurophysiological ability of synergistic muscles to initiate a contraction with proper strength and endurance for the given task, including the ability to return to a state of muscular relaxation.
MOTOR CONTROL refers to the ability to learn and perform the skillful and efficient assumption, maintenance, modification and control of voluntary movement patterns and postures. The Functional Manual Therapy paradigm promotes treatment towards achieving functional efficiency, not normative values. Therefore, we must address each of these paradigms in a systematic approach to achieve our patients full potential.
