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Wellness Program

Physical Therapist with Patient
● Do you have any aches or pains?

● Do you wake up feeling stiff?

● Have you cut down on your exercise because “you are getting old” and can’t do as much anymore?

● Have you changed your exercise routine to accommodate new aches and/or other body limitations?

YOU DON’T NEED TO FEEL THIS WAY!

Have you ever thought of having your body “tuned-up”? Our bodies are machines, incredibly sophisticated machines, but still, biomechanical machines. Here is how your body works:

  • Your joints are hinges
  • Your muscles, tendons and ligaments are cables that produce movement
  • Your nerves are the electrical wiring that transports the impulses that cause movement
  • Your skin, fascia and connective tissue are the coverings that hold everything together

As a physical therapist, I have many clients who come to see me because they have pain. Some clients relate their pain to a specific injury, but most report pain that has no rhyme or reason. . .

“It just started one day.”

Do we not take the time to have our cars tuned up, our computers maintained, our bicycles checked? How many of us ever take the time to have our bodies checked and tuned up? You eat well and exercise regularly. That is important. In order to have a healthy and well-functioning body, the machinery must also be taken care of. It is important to maintain joint alignment, muscle flexibility, soft tissue mobility, fascial freedom, nerve tissue mobility and so on.

As a physical therapist and a physically active individual, I have sought ways to maintain the highest physical functioning for myself and for my clients. I believe that a yearly mechanical check up and tune up, is the way to better functioning. It may be the answer to your morning stiffness, your minor aches and pains, and your decreased comfort in performing certain physical activities. In the long term, it may be the only way to prevent mechanical breakdowns, which may occur without warning, may cause significant pain and may limit your physical function indefinitely.

WHAT IS A BODY TUNING?

A 1-hour session in which your body will be assessed from head to toe for:

  • Joint hypomobility
  • Muscle imbalances
  • Soft tissue limitations
  • Neuromuscular hyperactivity and dysfunction
  • Faulty movement patterns
  • Postural asymmetries

The purpose:

  • To restore optimal mechanical function and to provide your body with increased freedom of motion.
  • To prevent unnecessary breakdowns and to allow for optimal, pain-free physical functioning. More often than not, the breakdown process starts way before we feel any symptoms.

How?

  • The human body is an incredibly high-functioning machine with a tremendous ability to adapt to changes. Muscles and tendons get tighter, joints change alignment and fascia/connective tissue remold. As these changes occur, the symmetry and functioning of this incredible machine may become less than optimal. In time, with the cumulative effect of these adaptations, this highly functioning machine – your body – may break down.
  • This breaking-down process is perceived as aches, stiffness, occasional twitches, and so on. This process culminates in an inability to perform physical activity as freely or as efficiently as you used to.
  • If left uncorrected, or in misalignment, the break down may lead to significant pain and/or dysfunction. Have you ever heard anyone say, “I wasn’t doing anything; I sneezed and my back went out?"
  • This is the time when most people seek help. Some see their physician for advice and pain relief; others seek treatment from their physical therapist or other health care practitioners. As a physical therapist, my goal is to identify the source of this mechanical malfunction and to reduce dysfunction through the restoration of optimal mechanics. In an ideal world, this would happen on a prevention level. It is crucial to maintain optimal biomechanical function and a balance between mobility and stability.

Cristiana Kahl Collins
Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy
Associate Director, Division of Physical Therapy
Coordinator, Post-Professional Program in Physical Therapy
Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy

For questions about body tuning, or to schedule a body tuning session, please contact the Center for Physical Rehabilitation, 718-780-4531.