Tyvola Assessment and Counseling
(704) 525-4828
1101 Tyvola Road
Suite 215
Charlotte NC 28217

Celebrity Services

Substance abuse treatment services
Services Provided: Substance abuse treatment
Type of Care: Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups: DUI/DWI offenders

Physical Medicine

Physical medicine and rehabilitation involves the management of disorders that alter the function and performance of the patient. Emphasis is on the optimization of function through the combined use of medications, physical modalities, physical training with therapeutic exercise, movement and activities modification, adaptive equipment and assistive device, orthotics, prosthesis, and experiential training approaches. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation physicians may use electro-diagnostics, which are to provide nervous system functional information for diagnosis and prognosis for various neuromuscular disorders. The common electro diagnostic tests performed by physiatrists are nerve conduction studies and needle electromyographies. The nerve conduction study involves electrical stimulation to peripheral nerves, and the nerves' responses including such things as onset latency, amplitude, and conduction velocity. Needle electromyography requires needle electrode insertion into the muscles to detect the electrical potential generated from muscle fibers. Abnormal electrical potentials, such as fibrillation potential or positive sharp waves, detected by needles indicate the presence of muscle fibers that have abnormal nerve supplies. Common conditions that are by physiciaans include amputation, spinal cord injury, sports injury, and stroke, musculoskeletal pain syndromes such as low back pain, fibromyalgia, and traumatic brain injury. Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation involves optimizing function in those afflicted with heart or lung disease. Chronic pain management is through a multidisciplinary approach involving psychologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, chiropractors, and interventional procedures when indicated. In addition to the previous methodology, stroke treatment is often with the help of a speech therapist and recreational therapist when possible.

Sleep Apnea

In people who have sleep apnea (also recalled sleep-disordered breathing), breathing briefly stops or becomes very shallow during sleep. This change is from intermittent blocking of the upper airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and partially or completely closes the airway. Each breath­ing stop typically lasts 10 to 20 seconds or more and may occur 20 to 30 times or more each sleeping hour.
If a person has sleep apnea, not enough air can flow into the lungs through the mouth and nose during sleep, even though breathing efforts continue. When this happens, the amount of oxygen in the blood decreases. The brain responds by waking up enough to tighten the upper airway muscles and open the windpipe. Normal breaths then start again, often with a loud snort or choking sound. Although people who have sleep apnea typically snore loudly and frequently, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea.
Because people who have sleep apnea frequently rouse from deeper sleep stages to lighter sleep during the night, these people rarely spend enough time in deep, restorative stages of sleep. These people are therefore often excessively sleepy during the day. Such sleepiness can trigger mood and behavioral problems, including depression and such sleepiness more than triples the risk of being in a traffic- or work-related accident.
The many brief drops in blood-oxygen levels can result in morning headaches and a decreased ability to concentrate, think prop­erly, learn and remember. In sleep apnea, the combination of the intermittent oxygen drops and reduced sleep quality triggers the release of stress hormones. These hormones in turn raise blood pressure and heart rate and boost the risk of heart attack, stroke, irregular heartbeats and congestive heart failure. In addition, untreated sleep apnea can lead to altered energy metabolism that increases the risk for developing obesity and diabetes.
Anyone can have sleep apnea. Approximately 12 to 18 million American adults have sleep apnea, making it as common as asthma. More than one-half of the people who have sleep apnea are overweight. Sleep apnea is more common in men. More than 1 in 25 middle-aged men and 1 in 50 middle-aged women have sleep apnea along with excessive daytime sleepiness. About 3 percent of children and 10 percent or more of people over age 65 have sleep apnea. This condition occurs more frequently in African Americans, Asians, Native Americans and Hispanics than in Caucasians.
More than one-half of all people who have sleep apnea do not receive a diagnosis. People who have sleep apnea generally are not aware that breathing stops in the night. These people just notice not feeling rested when in the morning and are sleepy throughout the day. Some bed partners are likely to notice, however, that the other person snores loudly and frequently and even often stop breathing briefly while sleeping. With these symptoms present, doctors suspect sleep but must confirm the diagnosis with overnight sleep monitoring. (See "How Are Sleep Disorders Diagnosed?"). This monitoring will reveal pauses in breathing, frequent sleep arousals and intermittent drops in levels of oxygen in the blood.
Like adults who have sleep apnea, children who have this disorder usually snore loudly, snort or gasp and have brief stops in breathing while sleeping. Small children often have enlarged tonsils and ade­noids that increase their risk for sleep apnea. But doctors may not suspect sleep apnea in children because, instead of showing the typical signs of sleepiness during the day, these children often become agitat­ed and may be considered hyperactive. The effects of sleep apnea in children may include diminished school performance and difficult, aggressive behavior.