Frequently Asked Questions in Plano

There is no “typical” patient that we see. Our patient’s backgrounds range anywhere from professional athletes and weekend warriors to chronic pain patients. We approach every patient differently as no two injuries are exactly alike.

We follow the Fascial Distortion Model (FDM for short), developed by Stephen Typaldos, D.O. FDM is an anatomical perspective in which the underlying etiology of virtually every musculoskeletal injury (and many neurological and medical conditions as well) is considered to be comprised of one or more of six specific pathological alterations of the body’s connecting tissues (fascial bands, ligaments, tendons, retinacula, etc.). FDM is the model we use to evaluate, assess, and treat injuries. We often use the term myotherapy (muscle therapy) because many people will understand this better.

Patients usually come for treatment for one of two reasons.

1. They have suffered an acute injury and are looking to get back to activity ASAP. These are the sprains/strains that occur during athletic competition. If it is not broken and the tendons or ligaments are not fully ruptured, we can treat it and have a positive outcome. Some of the most common athletic injuries we treat are ankle sprains, hamstring, groin, and calf strains/pulls, shoulder strains/tendinitis, elbow strains/tendinitis(tennis elbow).
2. The other reason patients come in is for more chronic problems. Complaints that they deal with on a daily basis for a period of time, usually longer than 3 months. These are usually issues where they have seen numerous doctors and tried other therapies without resolution. A few examples are the various tendinitis problems, low back pain, neck pain/stiffness, headaches, etc. Many people that suffer from chronic pain find a great deal of relief, some experience full resolution of the complaint. Many of these patients opt for ongoing or maintenance/preventative care to stay as active as they can without the pain returning.

It is a nontraditional view of how the body responds to an injury. We look at soft tissue injuries as fascial injuries, we do not focus on the tendon, ligament, or muscle itself. Fascia or fascial tissue is the soft tissue component of the connective tissue that provides support and protection for most structures within the human body, including muscle. This soft tissue can become restricted due to psychogenic disease, overuse, trauma, infectious agents, or inactivity. Often resulting in pain, muscle tension, and corresponding diminished blood flow. These distortions/restrictions can prevent tissue from functioning or healing in an efficient way, which prolongs the healing process and can even prevent the complete resolution of an injury. Muscle tissue in general has a great blood supply and therefore has the ability to heal very quickly. Recent research is finding that the distortions that occur in the fascia are likely preventing the tissue from healing as efficiently as possible.

Specific manipulations can be performed on the tissues that are involved with the injury. If we can clear the distortions/restrictions around the injured muscle tissue and address the biomechanical imbalances, the injury will heal in a quicker more efficient manner.

It’s really hard to put a time frame on the number of treatments it will take because no one injury is going to be the same for every person. Most of the time acute injuries (an injury of rapid onset and progression but of limited duration. Usually the result of a specific impact or traumatic event to the body, ie sprains, strains) are going to recover the fastest and some will only need 1 or 2 treatments but others could need up to 5 or 6 (3 weeks of treatment). No one should need more than 6 treatments for an acute injury.

Chronic injuries (an injury that develops slowly and is persistent and long-lasting) are more unpredictable. Some respond very quickly and others respond slower than expected, but the treatment time frame that we typically shoot for is 4-6 treatments. Some of these patients opt for maintenance care(monthly visits) because they see the benefit of ongoing care.

Again, the practice is results-driven. No one signs up for a treatment plan with multiple visits. If you are seeing results, we expect that you will want to come back and finish the treatments that have been recommended. If you are not seeing results, we will help you find another treatment option that may better suit you.

After all the paperwork (minimal) has been completed we will get straight into what has brought you into our office. This starts with a detailed history and assessment/evaluation of the injury. If it is determined to be a condition that will respond to treatment this usually begins during your first visit. This can be delayed if any contraindications are noted during the evaluation process or any imaging is deemed necessary before beginning treatment. Treatment times typically last anywhere from 15-30 minutes. We do not take x-rays in the office. If x-rays or MRI are warranted we will refer out for imaging.