Hands-On Physical Therapy Specialists at Altenheim offers an innovative variety of options to help people recover and get back to life
By Ken McEntee
When she was a child, Andrea Praschan liked to volunteer in the office of her uncle, a physical therapist. Now a doctor of physical therapy at Hands-On Physical Therapy Specialists at Altenheim, Andrea says she is passionate about improving the daily lives of a variety of patients, from semi-professional athletes to weekend warriors to seniors with aching joints.
“I enjoy working with people from the time they are injured or start to hurt, and taking them through the process of getting back to what they want to achieve, from being able to walk around a grocery store to playing collegiate level soccer,” she says.
Hands-On offers a wide variety of therapies, including some that are hard to find in Strongsville and surrounding communities.
For example, says Occupational Therapist Jackie Frabel, Hands-On is one of the few clinics in Northeast Ohio with a certified hand specialist.
“Andrea and I also are both certified in dry needling, a specialized technique that uses ultra-fine needles to help reduce pain, improve blood flow and reduce scar formation,” Jackie says. “The goal of dry needling is to insert the tiny needle into a trigger point on the body to stimulate its own immune system in the healing process.”
Graston instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization—or Graston Therapy—is another technique that may be exclusive to Hands-On in the area. Jackie and Andrea both have received special certification to use the technique that Jackie calls “revolutionary for helping our patients’ pain.”
The technique utilizes specially designed stainless steel instruments to treat chronic, acute or post-surgical soft tissue conditions, Jackie explains.
“We use Graston to treat pain and other problems just about anywhere on the body, from hands and feet, to arms and legs to the back,” Andrea says. “We’ve used it to help patients after knee and hip replacements, rotator cuff injuries, tennis elbow, arthritis and many other conditions.”
The technique was specially developed to detect and treat fibrous scar tissue, or adhesions, that can build up on muscles, tendons and ligaments after an injury or surgery. Graston instruments are used to locate the troublesome adhesions and work them out.
The Graston technique is used to treat such conditions as tendinosis, tendinitis, carpal tunnel, fibromyalgia, shin splints, cervical and lumbar sprains and strains, plantar fasciitis, trigger finger, scar tissue and women’s health conditions like post-mastectomy and Caesarian scarring.
Hands-On, Andrea says, also has the area’s only HydroWorx aquatic therapy chamber. The walk-in tank fills with warm therapeutic water to help with balance and provide resistance during treatment.
“We use it for conditions like osteoarthritis, low back pain and just generalized weakness,” Andrea says. “The soothing water helps to support a patient’s body weight by as much as 90 percent depending on how high the unit is filled. It’s wonderful for patients who have pain when they walk or have difficulty standing or balancing for long periods of time.”
As a certified hand therapist, Jackie says she has special training in treating shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand injuries.
After 28 years as an occupational therapist, she says she loves her work as much as when she first started.
“When you work with all kinds of patients with different conditions and different goals, we have to be creative in thinking of new ideas and approaches,” she says. “My favorite part of the job is seeing the difference in how patients are when they first come in compared to how they are when they’re better.”
You can make an appointment or learn more about Hands-On Physical Therapy Specialists at Altenheim by calling 440-238-0300. You can also learn more at www.HandsOnPTS.com or www.altenheim.com. Hands-On is located at 15653 Pearl Road, in Strongsville.