HULSEY MANUAL THERAPY MODALITIES
At Hulsey Physical Therapy, we help patients in Commerce and Greenville, TX through physical therapy that incorporates manual therapy modalities into treatment. Our approach to care goes beyond exercise alone. Hulsey manual therapy treatments incorporate skilled, hands-on techniques and therapeutic modalities to help patients move more comfortably, recover more efficiently, and achieve lasting results. Manual therapy is often a key component of a personalized physical therapy plan, especially for patients experiencing pain, stiffness, or restricted movement.
Patients receiving manual therapy in conjunction with traditional physical therapy treatment often experience improved flexibility, reduced muscle tension, and better overall movement patterns. Whether you are recovering from an injury, surgery, or managing a chronic condition, including manual therapy and modalities in your treatment plan can help restore function, improve comfort, and support long-term recovery. At Hulsey Physical Therapy, every manual therapy technique is chosen intentionally to support your goals and help you return to daily activities with confidence.
Manual Therapy Modalities
Electric stimulation therapy is a therapeutic treatment that applies electrical stimulation in treating muscle spasms and pain. It can help prevent atrophy and build strength in patients with injuries. It is also helpful in keeping muscles active especially after any type spinal cord injury or strokes. May also be used in conjunction with dry needling.
Common Treatment Indications :
Relaxation of muscle spasms, Prevention or retardation of disuse atrophy , Increasing local blood circulation, Muscle re-education, Immediate post-surgical stimulation of calf muscles to prevent venous thrombosis, Maintaining or increasing range of motion.
The Marc Pro is intended for muscle conditioning by stimulating muscle in order to improve or facilitate muscle performance. It can also be used to help promote joint fluid reduction by re-absorption facilitation. Used in post-op recovery after intense exercise participation, for muscle re-education, pain control, and motor recruitment training.
Iontophoresis is a way to get a drug deep into your body by the use of electricity. The two drugs most commonly used are 4% Lidocaine and .4% Dexamethasone. The treatment takes 10 to 20 minutes. During the treatment you may feel a slight tingling sensation. The process is that your prescribed drug is injected onto a buffer pad, the same polarity of current is then place on the pad containing the drug. Once the current begins, the two like polarity want to repeal each other, so the medication in the pad is forced through the skin without causing any open skin penetrations. Treatment area remain only as large of the buffered pad in which the drug was injected, so you must have localized area of treatment.
Common Treatment Indications :
Area of inflammation, pain, muscle spasm, swelling and edema, helps to reduce calcium deposits in the body, manage scar tissue.
Ultrasound is a therapeutic modality that has been used by physical therapists since the 1940s. Ultrasound is applied using a round-headed wand or probe that is put in direct contact with the patient’s skin. Ultrasound gel is used on all surfaces of the head in order to reduce friction and assist in the transmission of the ultrasonic waves. Therapeutic ultrasound is in the frequency range of about 0.8-3.0 MHz. Ultrasound can produce many effects other than just the potential heating effect. It has been shown to cause increases in tissue relaxation, local blood flow, and scar tissue breakdown. The effect of the increase in local blood flow can be used to help reduce local swelling and chronic inflammation, and, according to some studies, promote bone fracture healing. The intensity or power density of the ultrasound can be adjusted depending on the desired effect. A greater power density (measured in watt/cm2 is often used in cases where scar tissue breakdown is the goal. A typical ultrasound treatment will take from 3-5 minutes depending on the size of the area being treated.
Common Treatment Indications:
Some conditions treated with ultrasound include tendonitis, non-acute joint swelling, muscle spasm, and to help breakdown scar tissue.
Phonophoresis is the use of ultrasound to enhance the delivery of topically applied drugs. Phonophoresis has been used in an effort to enhance the absorption of topically applied analgesics and anti-inflammatory agents through the therapeutic application of ultrasound. Typically, 1% Hydrocortisone cream is used when trying to evoke a local pain reduction response; however Dexamethasone or Salicylates are also often used. The medication is applied to the skin, and then ultrasound waves are used to help pass the medicine through the skin and into your injured body part.
Common Treatment Indications:
Tendonitis, Bursitis, Adhesive capsulitis, arthritis, focal active or latent trigger points.
LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Light created in this way, is then culminated and directed into an intense beam of coherent light through the use of cathode and anode reflecting components in order to produce a single stable frequency. According to Webster’s Dictionary, Lasers are coherent or marked by logical consistency. Our laser devices meet all the scientifically defined attributes of a laser and is therefore classified as a TRUE laser. We assure and maintain this classification, through our unique and patented process, which produces the emission of coherent light, generated at a precise and stable frequency, and in a focused direction.
Many theories exist as to the mechanism of action for Low Level Laser Therapy(3LT™) but simply put, photonic energy is absorbed by the photo acceptor sites on the cell membrane which trigger a secondary messenger to initiate a cascade of intracellular signals that initiate, inhibit or accelerate biological processes such as wound healing, inflammation, or pain management.
Common Treatment Indications:
Post-op Pain and/or swelling, Shingles, Focal neurological deficits, TMJ, Inflammatory processes.
Anodyne Therapy is an infrared light therapy device, FDA Cleared to reduce pain, stiffness and muscle spasm and increase local circulation. Anodyne® Therapy and MIRE™ are registered trademarks of Anodyne Therapy, LLC. Anodyne Therapy is patented in the United States, Canada and Europe. The Anodyne Therapy System uses monochromatic infrared energy (MIRE) to release nitric oxide from the patient’s red blood cells. The company says this improves nerve function and is important for making new blood vessels and healing wounds.
Common Treatment Indications:
Diabetic LE neuropathy, PVD, painful injury areas, muscle spasms, muscle stiffness
Diathermy is electrically induced heat or the use of high-frequency electromagnetic currents as a form of physical or occupational therapy and in surgical procedures. Short wave diathermy machines use two condenser plates that are placed on either side of the body part to be treated. Another mode of application is by induction coils that are pliable and can be molded to fit the part of the body under treatment. As the high-frequency waves travel through the body tissues between the condensers or the coils, they are converted into heat. The degree of heat and depth of penetration depend in part on the absorptive and resistance properties of the tissues that the waves encounter. Short wave diathermy usually is prescribed for treatment of deep muscles and joints that are covered with a heavy soft-tissue mass. Diathermy is commonly used for muscle relaxation, and to induce deep heating in tissue for therapeutic purposes in medicine.
Common Treatment Indications:
Hip Trochanteric bursitis, Shoulder bursitis, IT band, Lumbar spine regional pain, muscle spasms.
Pneumatic Medicine is the use of non-invasive, painless, dynamic external compression to treat a variety of medical conditions including swollen limbs, non-healing wounds, lymphedema, and other circulation-related disorders. We use the NormaTec® Device at Hulsey Therapy Services PC.
Common Treatment Indications:
Lymphedema, Prevention of DVT, Chronic non-healing wounds, Vascular disorders, Swollen Arms (especially from breast cancer), Venous insufficiency, Post-exercise soreness, Post-op chronic swelling or cramping pain after workouts.
Hulsey Physical Therapy is proud to be part of the H2 Health network, a nationwide family of rehabilitation clinics committed to delivering high-quality, patient-centered care. By being backed by H2 Health, Hulsey benefits from shared clinical expertise, advanced continuing education, and access to innovative treatment approaches that elevate the patient experience. This connection allows the team to combine the personalized attention of a local clinic with the strength, resources, and support of a larger organization, ensuring patients receive consistent, evidence-based care designed to help them recover stronger and maintain long-term wellness.
