Active Therapeutic Movements

An ATM (Active Therapeutic Movements) based treatment at Spine, Sport and Injury Therapy Center in Davenport  is a combined clinician/patient effort to manage and control musculoskeletal pain and is based upon physical therapy principals and the works of Brian Mulligan, PT.

Back Project's ATM2 enables personalized body repositioning for finding unique, pain-free positions for each user. Once this position is found, the systems stabilize the patient allowing specific neuromuscular training based on body movement isolation. This aims to achieve and sustain immediate pain reduction, increase range of motion, and improve function in the back, pelvis, shoulders, hips, legs or neck.  

The ATM2 has been shown in studies to activate the spinal core muscles in a way that no other device or exercise can. Many of our patients in Davenport experience significant pain relief from the ATM2 on their very first visit. 

The ATM2 device is a vertical (upright) treatment table that has four sets of belts. These specialized belts allow you to be supported safely while the specific body areas causing you pain are comfortably compressed and positioned. Therapy with the ATM2 should never cause pain or discomfort.

Within minutes of using the ATM2, your painful movements can become completely pain-free! Once pain-free movement is achieved, resistance exercise is then added.  Because ATM2 treatments are done in an upright, weight-bearing position, the beneficial physical changes are long lasting. The theory behind Active Therapeutic Movement is that the resistance exercise forces your Central Nervous System to learn a new, "better" (pain-free) way to use your muscles.  

The goal of the ATM2 is to reposition and stabilize an area of the body that has pain on movement. This is referred to as a movement disorder. For example, if the lower back is painful when leaning backwards, and the stabilizing straps of the ATM are placed around the pelvis and reduce or eliminate the pain, then there is a motion disorder component to this pain. By repositioning each side of the pelvis, either anterior/posterior or lateral/medial so all pain is eliminated, and then the treatment position is achieved. Once the position is found, the patient performs previously painful movements against resistance. Again, the pain free position is the key. If obtained, then pelvic, low back, neck and shoulder disorders typically respond quickly. These include a wide variety of diagnoses like joint disorders, disc disorders, muscle spasm and restriction, directional segmental hypomobility or hypermobility. The patient must be pain free during positioning and therapy to experience maximum benefit with this treatment.

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How ATMs Help Patients in Davenport

Outcomes for athletes

• Lasting, consistent, immediate, and predictable increase in range of motion with no end range, risk prone movements.
• Possible immediate increase in strength, not due to muscle strengthening which takes considerable time and effort to achieve, but rather due to an optimization in muscle activation patterns that occur on the automatic level as is consistently evidenced by use of sEMG devices.
• Suitable for everyone, without age limitation, and almost without regard to health condition.

Outcomes for posture patients

• Immediate, consistent, and predictable improvement in posture on the automatic level.
• No need to "teach" good posture.  With the ATM2™ it happens automatically, due to its simple, yet advanced capability to alter CNS muscle activation patterns on the automatic level.
• Normalizes forward head position, rolled shoulders, and pelvis position.

Outcomes for pain patients

• Pain elimination during the session
• 50%-100% lasting pain relief and/or increase in pain-free ROM immediately after the session
• Suitable for almost all common Back, Neck, Shoulder, Knee, Pelvis, and Hip pain patients

Outcomes for scoliosis patients

• Many different physical therapy treatments have been utilized to treat scoliosis including electrical muscle stimulation, bracing, various exercise programs, and manipulation among others.  Unfortunately, these have not been found to be very effective treatments for scoliosis.
• Clinical evidence has been documented for the efficacy of the ATM2™ when used with patients who have LBP, hip problems, shoulder problems and cervical problems.
• The ATM2™ was also found to be effective in helping to reverse the curves in a patient with scoliosis who was being treated for a frozen shoulder in a recently published case study.
• The results of an ongoing study have been quite promising that the ATM2™ is effective in not only helping to decrease pain and increase range of motion (ROM) but also significantly improve the posture and appearance of the spine in one who has scoliosis.

ATM2 treatments only take a few minutes, but they consistently provide immediate pain relief.  Call Spine, Sport and Injury Therapy Center today to schedule an appointment.