If you intend to return to an active lifestyle through physical therapy, it should include competing in sports, working, and participating in hobbies, or simply getting through your day without pain. You may also be able to prevent mobility loss through physical therapy.

A physical therapist might ask his patient to use exercise equipment such as a treadmill or bike. A physical therapist may also use heat or cold, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, massage, and even aqua therapy to treat the affected area. As for the duration of the sessions, they might last from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on frequency. Importance of regular visits is crucial if you have recently suffered an injury or had surgery.

As a result of our services, we want to help you improve the range of motion and strength of your body, including your limbs, bands, back, and neck.

Why Would I Need Physical Therapy?

The role of physical therapy in the treatment, rehabilitation and recovery from orthopedic injuries and conditions is paramount. Those with the following conditions may benefit from physical therapy:

  • Arthritis
  • Low back pain
  • Spine disorders
  • Joint pain and stiffness
  • Sports injuries
  • Post-surgical pain

Physical therapy teaches you how to prevent future injuries as well as how to regain mobility and strength following an injury.

Are physical therapists able to provide any type of services?

Each patient’s physical therapy treatment plan is tailored to meet their specific needs and goals. Among the services available include:

  • Manual manipulation
  • Massage therapy
  • Heat and cold therapy
  • Therapeutic ultrasound
  • Hydrotherapy
  • Electrical stimulation
  • Therapeutic exercises

Exercises are also taught to help you develop strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance at home, with or without the use of assistive devices.

During a physical therapy session, what should I expect?

Physical therapists perform a thorough evaluation during your first visit. Your condition is carefully assessed, your goals are listened to, and you are given options for treatment. Physical therapists then develop a program based on your unique needs.

A successful recovery depends on physical rehabilitation.

Evaluation

Physical therapists begin by evaluating and assessing your overall condition on your first visit. In order to diagnose your illness or injury, your doctor might take specific measurements. A typical measurement may include the following:

  • Joint mobility
  • Neurological function
  • Pain
  • Cardiac function
  • Pulmonary function
  • Strength
  • Range of motion
  • Flexibility
  • Balance
  • Overall functional mobility

The PT will gather information about your injury or illness and formulate a prognosis for it. By doing so, he or she can assist you in improving your movement and feeling. Physical therapy involves talking with your therapist about your goals and developing a treatment plan for your rehabilitation.

Benefits of physical therapy

In some cases, physical therapy can be beneficial for the following reasons:

  •         Recovery from stroke or paralysis
  •         Management of age-related medical problems
  •         Pain management with reduced need for opioids
  •         Avoiding surgery
  •         Fall prevention
  •         Improved balance
  •         Improved mobility and movement
  •         Recovery from injury or trauma

By strengthening specific areas of the body and utilizing muscles in new ways, a sports therapist can help an athlete maximize their performance.

Physical therapy will begin with a check-up to see if you are at risk of falling. During therapy, therapists will provide you with balance exercises that safely and carefully simulate real-life situations in order to prevent falls. In addition to exercises for improving coordination, therapists also provide assistive devices that help you walk safely.

Physiatrists can perform specific maneuvers that can restore vestibular function, and quickly resolve symptoms of dizziness or vertigo if the balance problem is caused by a dysfunction of the vestibular system.

Patients and physical therapists can discuss with healthcare providers which benefits will be most beneficial to them based on their medical histories and needs.

What to Expect During Treatments?

Different physical therapy techniques are used by physical therapists to decrease pain and stiffness, improve mobility and strength, and make you feel better. Various physical agents may be applied, including heat, ice, ultrasound, or electrical stimulation. The manual technique is also popular for improving mobility.

Physical therapists often use therapeutic exercises to help improve function, range of motion, and strength in their patients. Physical therapists strive to educate patients about their conditions and use charts, models, and diagrams to help them understand their diagnoses and prognoses. At times, modifications can be made or exercises can be performed at home.

Types

Various therapeutic methods can be used to treat a wide range of conditions, as is the case in any medical practice.

Musculoskeletal injuries affect muscles, bones, ligaments, fascia, and tendons, so a physical therapist specializing in orthopedic therapy treats those.

A fracture, a sprain, tendonitis, bursitis, chronic medical conditions, or after orthopedic surgery, this device is suitable for treatment. Joint mobilization, manual therapy, strength and mobility training, and other techniques are involved in the treatment.

The goal of Geriatric Physical Therapy is to improve the mobility and physical function of elderly patients with chronic medical conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, hip, and joint replacement, and balance and incontinence problems. By restoring mobility and decreasing pain, these interventions increase fitness levels.

Several neurological disorders and conditions can be treated with neurological physical therapy, including Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, and stroke. Specifically, treatment may be aimed at increasing limb responsiveness, treating paralysis, or reversing muscle atrophy by enhancing muscle strength.

Some cardiopulmonary conditions and surgical procedures can benefit from cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation. These treatments can strengthen the body and improve stamina.

Physical therapy for children and adolescents focuses on diagnosing, treating, and managing conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system, including developmental delays, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and torticollis.

Using wound care therapy can result in improved circulation, allowing a healing wound to receive adequate oxygen and blood. In addition to manual therapy, electric stimulation, compression therapy, and wound care are all types of physical therapy.

Vestibular therapy is used to treat inner ear conditions that can lead to balance problems. Patients can regain balance and coordination with vestibular physical therapy by performing exercises and by using manual techniques.

Associated with lymphedema and other conditions that involve fluid accumulation, decongestive therapy can help drain accumulated fluid.

Incontinence, urinary urgency, and pelvic pain can be treated by pelvic floor rehabilitation in men and women as a result of injuries, surgeries, or other conditions.

It is up to the physical therapist to determine what treatment is appropriate.