What limited range of motion means
Range of motion is simply how far a joint can move. How high you can lift your arm. How far you can turn your head. How deep you can bend your knee.
When that range shrinks, everyday life gets harder in sneaky ways. You stop reaching behind your back. You avoid sitting on the floor. You shuffle instead of stride.
- After an injury, when a joint was protected or kept still to heal
- After surgery, when scar tissue and swelling make things tight
- After years of sitting at a desk, in a car or on the couch
- With arthritis or other joint changes
- From a frozen or very stiff shoulder
How Thrive may help you loosen up
Stretching on your own is a start. But if you keep hitting the same wall, it helps to know why. Is it a tight muscle? A stiff joint? Weak muscles that cannot control the new range? Pain that makes you stop short? Each one needs a different fix.
That is where physical therapy comes in. Your therapist figures out what is actually limiting you, then combines gentle hands on work with exercises that move the joint a little further, and strength work so you can own that new range and use it.
Some of our other services can help along the way. A stretching session gives you guided, assisted stretching when your body needs more than you can do on your own. Deep tissue massage, cupping and muscle scraping may help loosen tight muscles before you move. Your provider will tell you which of these are right for you.
If you just had surgery
After surgery, stiffness is normal. Your surgeon's instructions come first. They will tell you what you can move, how much, and when. Bring those instructions, or have the office fax them to (313) 921-6009, and your therapist will build your plan around them. We never push past what your surgeon has cleared. Our post surgical rehab page explains more.
What your first visit is like
Your first visit is a physical therapy evaluation. Your therapist asks what feels stiff, how long it has been that way, and what you want to be able to do again. Then they gently measure how far the joint moves on its own and with a little help, and check the strength around it.
You will talk through what they found and start a plan that same visit. Expect a few simple moves to take home. Doing them between visits matters as much as the time you spend in the clinic.
When to see a doctor first
Please see a doctor first if a joint suddenly locks and will not move, if it is hot, red and swollen, if you have pain with a fever, if you lost motion after a recent fall or major trauma, if numbness is spreading, or if you have severe pain with no clear cause.
Insurance and booking
We accept all major insurance plans and we verify your benefits for you before your first visit. Physical therapy through insurance usually needs a doctor's prescription or referral. Visit our insurance page for details.
Self pay physical therapy evaluation and treatment is a $70 investment. A stretching session is a $70 investment and is self pay unless a provider and your insurer confirm otherwise.
Ready to reach, turn and bend again? Tap the Book button, or call or text (313) 429-9079.
