When patients come to Southwest Spine and Sport in Fort Myers, they won’t sit passively waiting to see their doctor. They prepare for their examination by doing warmup exercises and stretching their muscles, ligaments, and discs using the Therapeutic Wobble Chair, the Repetitive Cervical Traction unit, Whole Body Vibration and Thoracic Rolls.

Our spinal rehab system utilizes specific equipment and exercises to target the dysfunctional, degraded and weak tissues of the body. Our rehab program is based on the Pettibon system. The Pettibon system is a comprehensive method of evaluation & management  consisting of warm-up exercises, spinal mobilization techniques and neuromuscular rehabilitation procedures designed to retrain neuromuscular control of the spine and posture.

Our rehab system also supports structures of the spine and musculoskeletal system. In order to restore function and strengthen a joint, tissue, or specific region of the body, certain motions are required. As the function increases the pain and discomfort will decrease.


Whole Body Vibration (WBV)
This stimulates your body just like exercise does! When turning on a WBV machine, the platform you stand on moves, but it does so very rapidly. This motion is then transferred up through your body. Your tissues and muscles are then forced to react to that stimulus. The platform moves anywhere from about 1000 to 3000 times a minute. This causes the muscles to tone and strengthen faster than any other workout.

The benefits of this exercise are:

• Increase in blood flow throughout the body
• Increase in lymphatic drainage
• Increase in the release of endorphins
• Lowering of the stress hormone (Cortisol)
• Training of the equilibrium sense

Wobble Chair
Moving your spine on the wobble chair will increase the circulation of the fluid that surrounds your brain and spinal cord, the cerebral-spinal fluid (CSF). This fluid carries nutrients, neurotransmitters and hormones that your brain and nerves need to be healthy.  When these are circulated and refreshed by movement you will have a better mood and longer attention span. You will also find that your memory, focus, and cognitive function improve.


Repetitive Cervical Traction (RCT)
This system provides similar movement to the neck as the Wobble Chair does the back. The patented Repetitive Cervical Traction is used for loading and unloading to
reestablish necessary motion in both the cervical and lumbar spine.

Some of the benefits of RCT are:

• Helps with cartilage growth
• Decreases healing time
• Restores perfect disc function
• Improves cervical and lumbar curves
• Rehydrates thin discs
• Reduces pain in the neck, arm, mid and low back

Thoracic Roll
Rolling various body parts can help you practice what physical therapists refer to as self-myofascial release. Fascia is the combination of the sheets of connective tissue throughout your body. Fascia and muscles can hold tension. When you release this tension, flexibility and mobility are easier to achieve and eventually restored.  The patient can perform stretching and mobilization procedures in preparation for all mobilizing and correcting procedures in addition to all home rehabilitation exercise sessions. If needed exercises can be done against a wall.

Roll from neck to low back with feet stationary keeping neck in position and buttocks off the floor. This mobilizes the rib cage & thoracic region.  When done correctly, the patient will feel their muscles at work.

Frontal head weighting activates the body’s righting reflexes, causing the patient’s body to reposition forward under the weighted head. Front-lateral head weighting causes the patient’s body to also be laterally corrected in conjunction with correction. This realigns the head into proper position using the body’s natural reflexes. It also stimulates your nervous system and strengthens your postural muscles.  Depending upon the spinal displacement that needs to be corrected, wearing the weights alters the head, thoracic cage and pelvis centers of mass. This causes the righting reflexes to send spine correcting sensory input to the nervous system. To balance the body to the weights, the nervous system’s innate organizing energy causes some involved spinal muscles to relax and others to contract, thereby repositioning and correcting the spine and posture relative to gravity. Additionally, the weights make the involved muscles do isometric exercises, needed to restore their strength, endurance and balance.