Welcome to H&D Physical Therapy!

Physical Therapy for Back Pain in Yorkville


NYC’s leading physical therapy clinic since 1997

We believe that in order to reach your goals, you need one-on-one time with your own personal therapist.  Our approach of combining highly skilled therapy with closely monitored personalized care has been widely recognized.  H&D Physical Therapy for Back Pain in Yorkville has been chosen as the sole provider of therapy services for 10 fortune 500 companies.

1997

In the mid-90’s, insurance carriers started becoming more profit-driven than they had ever been before. This aggressive bottom-line focus was reflected in greatly reduced reimbursements that affected how physical therapy was delivered. 

Many providers responded by looking for ways to double, triple or even quadruple the number of patients they could see in an hour.  As a result, the quality of care suffered. If you had neck pain, there was only enough time to look at your neck and then treat your neck.  

Greg and Rob refused to treat patients as if they were part of an assembly line. They said, ‘Enough is enough’ and in 1997 H&D Physical and Occupational therapy was established with a mission to provide one-on-one integrated science-based holistic therapy.

What does that mean?

Every small child knows some version of Them bones.  You might be humming it right now—…the hip bone’s connected to the back bone, the back bone’s connected to the neck bone

Our musculoskeletal system is truly an extraordinary feat of (bio)engineering. An interconnected and complex chain of events is required every time we move.  Pain often occurs when there is a disruption somewhere in that chain and it is possible that pain in one area may be caused by a problem located in a different part of the body.

whole body treatment hdpt site image

For example, wrist pain, numbness, or tingling in the fingers are hallmarks of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Typically, this is caused by a compressed nerve in the wrist due to repetitive movements such as typing or using a mouse.  However, these symptoms might actually originate from poor posture, tense muscles, nerve compression in the neck and pain traveling down the arm and into the hand.  These two diagnoses cannot be differentiated if an isolated symptom approach is used.  Integrated evidence-based holistic therapy means we consider biomechanics, your lifestyle and how you work to arrive at the correct diagnosis. 

Our Treatment Philosophy

We treat people, not body parts.  Our PTs and OTs give you their undivided attention during your session. If you are in pain, we are on a quest to discover “why?” After we ask, ‘Where does it hurt? we take the time to ask: 

  • When does it hurt?
  • What position are you in when it hurts?
  • How does it affect your day?
  • Where else in your body might you be weak or stiff?
  • Have you had these symptoms in the past?
  • What does your typical day look like (sleeping, eating, stress levels, etc.)?
baseball throw hdpt site

Equally important, we take the time to really listen to your answers.  This often uncovers surprising root causes for the pain or injury.  In fact, we once cured a right-handed pitcher’s recurring elbow pain by treating his left foot.

Using a systems approach, we analyzed his pitching form, and saw that when his left foot landed on the ground, he was a bit off balance which resulted in an inefficient movement pattern. This movement pattern increased stress to the right elbow. 

By improving his left foot mobility and balance, his right elbow pain disappeared.  A symptom approach that focused solely on treating the elbow pain, without addressing the root cause, would not have produced the same successful outcome.

We have thousands of stories like this one.  Whether you’ve never tried physical therapy before, or you have and it didn’t work for you, we offer a new perspective and the personalized one-on-one care you deserve.  Schedule an appointment today.

If you have questions regarding treatments available, or whether PT is appropriate for you, please contact us. We would be happy to discuss your situation in advance of an evaluation session.

Orthopedic Injuries and Conditions

Who can benefit from Orthopedic Physical Therapy?

Physical Therapy can help individuals who have mild to severe pain or limitations which may be intermittent or continuous. Whether you have had trauma, a repetitive use injury, muscle strains, misaligned joints, disc degeneration or a pinched nerve, a full physical therapy evaluation can determine the root cause of your current symptoms and get you back to efficient function.

Skilled physical therapy can help with loss of function or pain in any of the following areas:

Physical Therapy For Knee Pain in New York City
  • Spine: neck, thoracic, lumbar (lower back), sacrum and coccyx
  • Upper Extremities: shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand and fingers
  • Head and jaw
  • Lower Extremities: Hip, groin, knee, ankle, foot and toes
  • As well as in conditions that result in difficulty walking, running, standing, sitting, sleeping, bending, lifting and chewing

Diagnoses we treat include:

  • Repetitive Strain Injuries – RSI: rotator cuff tear, labral tear, shoulder and hip impingement syndromes, tendinitis and tendinosis
  • Soft-tissue Injuries: muscle, tendon and fascia strains and sprains, bursitis
  • Radicular pain / Radiculitis: pain from the neck or back down the arm, or leg, sciatica
  • Neuritis – inflammation of the nerve
  • Head and face traumas and pain, concussion
  • Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ, TJD)
  • Neck injuries and pain: bulging disc, herniated disc, degenerative disc disease (DDD), degenerative joint disease (DJD).
  • Shoulder injuries: rotator cuff tears, bursitis, frozen shoulder, impingement, shoulder dislocation, AC joint dislocation
  • Elbow injuries: cubital tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis), golfer’s or baseball elbow (medial epicondylitis), etc.
  • Wrist and hand injuries: carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, de Quervain’s syndrome, etc.
  • Back pain: sciatica, disc herniation, DDD, DJD, rib traumas and pain
  • Sacroiliac dysfunction (SIJ): pain in the buttock area, piriformis syndrome
  • Coccydynia: tail bone pain, coccyx misalignment, fractured coccyx
  • Hip derangements and pain: hip bursitis, groin pain, and buttock pain, etc.
  • Knee traumas: ligamentous injuries – ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL, torn meniscus, chondromalacia patella, patellofemoral syndrome, etc.
  • Foot and ankle problems: Achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, foot neuromas, tarsal tunnel syndrome, etc.

What is orthopedic physical therapy treatment?

Each patient and diagnosis are different. Physical therapy treatments used to treat orthopedic injuries and conditions vary and can include:

Physical Therapy For Knee Pain in New York City
  • Soft tissue mobilization
  • Joint mobilization
  • Myofascial release
  • Visceral mobilization
  • Neuromuscular reeducation
  • Positional release techniques
  • Proprioceptive training 
  • Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF)
  • Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM),

Patient education is an important element of your treatment and may include:

  • Postural reeducation
  • Nutritional education 
  • Specific strengthening exercises, functional lengthening exercises, and exercises for core and global muscle strengthening and coordination.
  • Balance training

Who treats orthopedic conditions at H&D Physical Therapy?

Assessment and treatment are performed by licensed physical therapists specially trained to address musculoskeletal conditions. If you are experiencing any of the above diagnoses or symptoms schedule an appointment today.


Recent Blog Posts Relating To Physical Therapy for Back Pain in Yorkville


Physical Therapy For Back Injuries

Back injuries are extremely common and can affect people in many ways. Back pain is physical discomfort anywhere in the back or spine. Here at H&D Physical Therapy we understand the causes of back pain and can help relieve your discomfort at the source. When you need Physical Therapy for Back Pain in Yorkville to reduce the impact back pain is having on your everyday life contact our team. Underlying conditions or injuries do not always cause back pain; rather can result from: 

  • Too much exercise
  • Heavy lifting
  • Sleeping in the wrong position
  • Sitting for a long period of time
Physical therapy in Lenox Hill

If you are experiencing back pain or discomfort, you need Physical Therapy for Back Pain in Yorkville. 

Back Injury & Treatment

When diagnosing a back injury, there are a few diagnostic studies that can be performed. Performing a physical and going over a patient’s history is always the first step. To take it a step further, X-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans may be necessary to determine the back injury. Physical therapy is the best choice of treatment when dealing with a back injury. If you are experiencing pain, taking part in physical therapy can possibly prevent the injury from worsening if caught at the right time. If surgery is inevitable for your back injury, physical therapy will allow for a quick and efficient recovery. Tasks such as getting in and out of bed and walking up the stairs can be almost impossible when dealing with a back injury. No matter how severe the back injury is, the goal of Physical Therapy for Back Pain in Yorkville is to make everyday life and activities easy again. 

Manual Therapy 

A very common type of service that Physical Therapy for Back Pain in Yorkville uses for back injuries is manual therapy. Rather than using machinery to heal an injury, they work with the patient hands-on. The physical therapist uses their hands to massage muscle tissue and joints to result in decreased pain. Manual physical therapy also restores mobility in stiff joints, allowing the back to be easier and less painful. Manual therapy is a great choice for those who suffer from back injuries or chronic back pain. 

Continuing Treatment

To fully heal a back injury, treatment should not be stopped after one’s physical therapy appointment. Patients should continue to take part in easy yet beneficial exercises at home as well. Some of these exercises are: 

  • Shoulder rolls
  • Shoulder blade squeeze 
  • Chin in
  • Turn head over shoulders
  • Standing back-bend stretch 

Symptoms to Look Out For

If your back pain seems to last longer than normal, you should see a doctor immediately. Some signs may indicate your back injury is serious. If you experience any of the symptoms below, this back injury is most likely a medical emergency. Some of these signs are: 

  • Sharp pain in the back, rather than a regular dull ache 
  • Radiating pain that moves through legs and/or glutes
  • Feeling weakness in legs or limbs (commonly due to spinal injury) 
  • Back pain causing an inability to control bladder and/or bowel
  • Numbness in glutes or groin 

Local Physical Therapy for Back Pain in Yorkville

As you can see, there are several ways back injuries can occur, and physical therapy is the best answer. Physical Therapy for Back Pain in Yorkville specializes in back injuries and getting their patients back to living their life pain-free. If you are experiencing back pain and do not want to visit the office, our team offers telehealth to patients. To be more specific, telehealth allows physical therapists to work with patients virtually. This allows patients to get the benefits of physical therapy sessions in the comfort of their homes. H&D Physical Therapy conveniently has multiple locations all over New York City to be easily accessible for all their patients. Call and make an appointment to schedule a physical therapy session with our team of professionals today! 

Physical Therapy for Herniated Discs

Physical Therapy for back pain in Yorkville

Have you been experiencing pains in your spine? Your pain could be caused a herniated disc on your spinal cord. A disc is referred to as a cushion that sits between each vertebra that stacks on one another throughout your spine. A herniated disc refers to when one of these “cushions” is damaged. When one of these cushions is damaged, a herniated disc can occur in any part of the spine and can be extremely painful. In some cases, a damaged Disc can result in numbness or extreme weakness in your spine or arms and legs. 

Herniated Disc Treatment

At this point, you must seek professional help if you feel any numbness, tingling, or weakness in your arms or legs. This may be a sign of serious nerve damage. It is fairly common to see herniated discs in your lower back area. It is also possible for people to not experience any of these symptoms and not require any surgery. At H&D Physical Therapy, we can address the root of the problem and plan a tailored recovery plan specifically for you. This can start the healing process and prevent any future issues. Physical Therapy for Back Pain in Yorkville is fairly common if surgery is not required. Physical Therapy is constantly used as an alternative to surgery and can address the problem if not equally effective but more effective than surgery. 

Simple wear and tear can lead to a herniated disc. As you get older, it is common for your discs to become weak. Even minor twists and turns can cause your disc to burst. It is very important to get checked annually as you get older. Weight can also affect your spine health. Maintaining a healthy weight relative to the strain you put on your back is essential. Genetics can also play a factor in spine health. Physical Therapy for Back Pain in Yorkville can help assess the problem and start the recovery process. Herniated Discs can also lead to other problems. These problems include bladder dysfunction, saddle anesthesia, and many more. Physical Therapy can help you avoid these problems and get you back to 100%. 

Physical Therapy for Back Pain in Yorkville

If you or anyone you know has suffered or is suffering from a Herniated Disc, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.    H&D Physical Therapy is here to provide you with expert Physical Therapy for Back Pain in Yorkville. You can count on our team to adequately evaluate your injury and create a proper plan for treatment that includes your individual goals.


Contact Us Today For Physical Therapy for Back Pain in Yorkville

H&D Midtown

Gregory Hullstrung, PT, Cert. MDT, FAFS

Asra Abdullah, PT, MS, DPT, OCS, CCCE

Robert Corcoran, PT, DPT, CSCS

Livia Li, PT, DPT

H&D Upper East Side

Sonrisa Desales Aparece, PT

Sheryl Comet, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS

Aaron Huppert, PT, Cert. MDT 

Patricia Marino, PT, MA

Katherine Uy, PT, DPT, CFMT, OCS

If you have questions regarding treatments available, or whether PT is appropriate for you, please contact us. We would be happy to discuss your situation in advance of an evaluation session.