Functional Biomechanics

October 6, 2014
Owner and head physical therapist of Form and Function Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Guerrino Boni

Form and Function Physical is bringing the highly effective functional biomechanics approach to physical therapy in the Rhode Island area.

Owner and Physical Therapist Guerrino Boni has been in practice for 11+ years and has specialized in outpatient Orthopedics and Sports rehabilitation. He is one of only a handful of practitioners who is trained in Advanced Functional Biomechanics through the Gray Institute.

Why is that important? This revolutionary method of treatment assesses the body as it moves in three dimensions, giving him the ability to assess joints and muscles across all three planes of motion while standing.

“This really lets me view how the body reacts to gravity and the environment” Guerrino says. “Tri-plane loading is the only way to truly see the body undergo chain reaction bio-mechanics during movement”. This lets him see what planes of movement the body does and does not move well in.

“By seeing where a person is and is not successful with movement, I can see where an unsuccessful movement leads to a compensation. And, usually the pain.”

Guerrino explains that many times the painful site is not the area of the dysfunction. He says that subconscious compensatory movements throughout the body’s chain reaction lead to painful processes.

Functional Biomechanics

“For example, if your hip is tight and won’t allow rotary motion, that rotation gets driven either up or down the chain. Which causes potential back and SI or knee and ankle problems. So the pain is in the back or knee, but the problem is the tight hip,” he says, noting that people aren’t always aware of their own body’s physical limitations, and are task driven. “Your brain says to itself, ‘To pick up this pen off the floor here’s the motor pattern I need’, it simply issues the command to pick the pen up off the floor. The body responds by implementing a motor plan it needs to achieve that task to the best of its ability. Sometimes that means compensating for movements that person does not do very well.”

Beyond applying these principles to treat individuals with pain, Guerrino uses an array of physical modalities to lessen symptoms during treatment. The most common of these is the use of heat and ice, ultrasound, different types of electrical stimulation, traction, and now, cold laser.

“Cold Laser has really come along in recent years, and is amazingly well-supported with new research,” he says. “It allows for tissue healing and pain relief, without the thermal effects of ultrasound. Making it safe for bony prominences and near nervous tissue.”

He points out that there are multiple applications for it. From muscle pain, nerve pain, swelling, joint pain and stiffness, and different types of skin irritations. It has even been supported in the literature to help with canine arthritis pain and skin irritations as well. “I’m excited at the possibilities of this new technology, and happy to be able to offer it to our patients.”

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