The Anatomical Works has gained its strong reputation for treating complicated acute and chronic musculoskeletal/orthopedic patients, which have not responded to traditionally prescribed recipes and regimes of physical therapy. Many of these patients, who were thought to have chronic or failed musculoskeletal conditions and dysfunctions, found hope and a path to the improvement of their pain and suffering.

What parts of the body do we treat? Well, some of the more common diagnoses that you may have heard of are tendinitis, nerve root inflammation, rotator cuff tendinitis or impingement syndromes, arthritis, degenerative disc disease, disc bulge, disc herniation, patello-femoral syndrome, muscle imbalances, myofascial pain syndrome, sprain versus strain injuries and so on. We’ve tried to list as many as we can in the website for you to mull through.

The Anatomical Works Manual Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center offers a uniquely pleasant comfortable setting in which to pursue one's rehabilitative goals. Since 1992, we have dedicated ourselves to bringing the highly effective hands-on approach to solving and preventing musculoskeletal pain, as well as promoting wellness and health to the metro New Orleans and Gulf Coast community. We have treated people from all over the USA. Whether you are an avid gardener, or an active athlete, or a person that spends a great deal of time behind a desk, the anatomical works more than likely will be a great resource to you.

What can you expect on the first visit to the Anatomical Works?

People who have gone through previous sessions of physical therapy have remarked how different their experience at the Anatomical Works has been. Assessment nor treatment will involve being herded into a common area for all to see. Assessment and treatment is a confidential matter which we respect. During the assessment, we interview the patient and conduct an exam to understand the history of the pain/dysfunction which will ultimately point us in the direction of a proper treatment diagnosis and treatment plan specific to the needs of the patient's unique physical challenge. You see, no two patients are alike, therefore the treatment approach must be tailored to a given patient's condition. The nature and extent of injury varies with all patients. It is up to the experience and expertise of the manual physical therapist to determine the best course of physical rehabilitation to produce an optimal recovery.

When performing an evaluation, it’s important for the manual physical therapist to assess all the anatomically relevant structures related to the affected body part. It is our responsibility to verify the adjacent areas to the afflicted area. For example, if a patient comes in for neck pain, the therapist should assess the shoulder blade, the rotator cuff, the sub cranial spinal segments, maybe even your TMJ, in addition to all the spinal levels in the neck and perhaps beyond in order to get a complete picture of the participating biomechanical influences of a painful dysfunction. If this is not done, it is our belief that the physical therapy assessment would be incomplete.

After an initial visit, you should feel like you have a good understanding of the nature of your dysfunction and painful syndrome. You should also have some understanding why the chronicity of your problem has remained and become perpetual. You should come from the first visit with an understanding of what you may or may not do in order to prevent further injury or exacerbation of your painful dysfunction. At the Anatomical Works we absolutely encourage you to ask as many questions as you like. It is our firm belief that an informed patient is one that is an active participant in his or her own health and rehabilitation, which ultimately optimizes a recovery. We encourage our patients to continue to ask questions throughout treatment. It is great that a patient takes an interest in how to manage his or her own body.

As far as the treatment goes, the hands-on methodology is gentle and performed within the patient's tolerance levels. Patients typically feel that finally someone is directly addressing their core problems... the very issues that have troubled them for some time.

Although manual physical therapy techniques are the very core of our treatment methodology, we certainly use therapeutic exercises and other modalities to prod the healing process forward and promote wellness. The traditional methods have merit, but are limited. The careful and experienced use of manual physical therapy is a quantum leap forward in treatment effectiveness.