Ryan Trygar, clinical director of JAG-ONE Physical Therapy’s Woodbridge location, provides hands-on mobilization and stretching exercises to a patient dealing with musculoskeletal pain.

JAG-ONE Physical Therapy helps relieve the pain associated with a broad range of musculoskeletal conditions and restores patients to full functionality.

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), one out of every two adults in America struggles with a musculoskeletal condition that impacts their ability to live productively, independently and free of pain. What many people don’t know, however, is that physical therapy can safely address many of these conditions without surgery or drugs and return them to the lives and activities they love, pain-free.

John Gallucci, Jr., MS, ATC, PT, DPT and CEO of Woodbridge, N.J.-based JAG-ONE Physical Therapy, which has 49 locations throughout New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

“As we get older, many people fall into ‘compensatory patterns of convenience’ whereby our muscles tighten and then can easily strain when we exert ourselves,” shared John Gallucci Jr., MS, ATC, PT, DPT and CEO of JAG-ONE Physical Therapy, based in Woodbridge, N.J. “Through physical therapy, however, we’re able to not only do away with a great deal of musculoskeletal pain, but also reduce the need for potentially dangerous and addictive pain medications like opioids.”

Addressing Four Common Areas of Pain with PT

While the experienced team at JAG-ONE Physical Therapy regularly addresses a broad range of musculoskeletal and orthopaedic issues across its 49 locations throughout the tri-state area, Gallucci said that there are four common areas of pain that can most quickly benefit from physical therapy. These include:

• Lower Back Pain – “This pain normally starts with tightness and subsequent numbness that radiates to the buttocks and legs and will continue to radiate and grow in intensity if you don’t deal with the tightness,” Gallucci said. Following a thorough assessment of a patient’s biomechanical functionality, strength and range of motion, the JAG-ONE team will put a personalized plan of care in place. “This can include a range of targeted low-back stretches, including knee-to-chest movements, hamstring and hamstring-glute stretches, and stretches for the piriformis muscle,” he said. According to Gallucci, “patients can see positive results after just two to three sessions and we’ve even seen significant improvements in patients with herniated discs such that they’re able to return to playing tennis, golfing, gardening, etc. pain-free within four weeks.”
• Hip Pain – “People who sit for long periods at home and/or at work can develop a tight iliotibial (IT) band or psoas muscle and experience hip pain, but we can reduce these pain symptoms in as little as one to two visits,” Gallucci said. “We do this by utilizing a lot of hands-on mobilization and massage techniques as well as teaching patients flexibility and pelvic-neutral exercises to help get the body’s muscles as biomechanically sound as possible so that they’re working together rather than pulling on each other and working in opposition.”
• Shoulder Pain – Often caused by overhead motions/activities, Gallucci said that shoulder pain symptoms are particularly prevalent at the beginning of golf and tennis season each year. “Due to the physiologically-rounded nature of our shoulders, our use of anterior muscles versus posterior muscles in our daily activities, and society’s increasing tendency to spend time hunched over computers and other electronic devices, people are often not ready for the demands of sports like golf and tennis and can experience an impingement,” Gallucci said. Among preventative strategies, he recommends that sports enthusiasts do one to two weeks of pre-season exercises such as stretching the shoulders in all planes and engaging in posterior capsule strengthening like rows/retractions to avoid injury in the first place. “If you incur shoulder pain, however, it’s best to address it early to prevent it from getting worse,” he said. “At JAG-ONE, we’ll employ any of a number of modalities to calm inflammation, introduce exercises and stretches for all planes of the shoulder, and will ultimately have the patient mimic the activity they’ll be going back to in order to ensure that they can safely return to play.”
• Elbow/Forearm Pain – Gallucci said that tennis and golf players, people who type on computers a lot, lawyers, accountants and other professionals who routinely carry heavy briefcases, and tradespeople who use tools for extended periods of time can all suffer from this type of pain. “Most people limit the motion in their forearm and don’t stretch it properly; we do extensive stretching of the wrist, fingers and hand up to the elbow to address issues in this area and can get you back to a pain-free lifestyle in no time,” he said.

In addition to having certified physical and occupational therapists on staff, “many of our JAG-ONE facilities possess a Class 4 laser, which can offer more effective and accelerated healing than ultrasound, and we also offer the largest collection of athletic training services for student, professional and recreational athletes in the area,” Gallucci said of JAG-ONE’s unique specialties. “We’re also proud to offer highly-individualized plans of care for each patient based on their unique diagnosis and personal/professional goals.”

Overall, “you can walk into any JAG-ONE Physical Therapy facility based on the Direct Access Law and we’ll provide you with the utmost care, service and treatment,” Gallucci concluded. “We’re a vital health care resource for the communities we serve and are dedicated to getting our patients out of pain, back in the game of life and enjoying the pursuit of their goals and dreams.”

For More Information

JAG-ONE Physical Therapy is a comprehensive physical and occupational therapy company with 49 locations throughout Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, Westchester, Manhattan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The company’s multispecialty staff has been serving the tri-state area for more than 20 years and has developed a unique, care-first model of rehabilitation delivering high quality clinical outcomes for its patients. For more information, visit www.jagonept.com and visit on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.