Benefits of Physical Therapy

What is physical therapy?

Physical therapy is the treatment of an injury through the use of physical methods such as heat and ice treatment, rehabilitative exercise, and the passive movements of joints and soft tissue.  The person who creates these rehabilitative programs is known as a physical therapist.  “A physical therapists (PT) is a healthcare professional who diagnoses and treats individual of all ages who have medical problems or other health-related conditions that limit their abilities to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives.” “The role of the physical therapists is to diagnose the patient's condition, restore and maintain the physical function and optimal wellness of the patient, and prevent the progression of injury that could result in additional injuries.”1

What Type of Injuries Do PT’s Treat

Physical therapists are highly trained individuals that are trained to treat a myriad of physical injuries or impairments.  Some common injuries include cervical and lumbar injury treatment, recovery from knee replacement surgeries, rotator cuff surgeries, torn knee ligaments, broken or sprained ankles, and breaks or tears of just about any other body part you can think of.  Physical therapists are not limited to only treating patients that have injuries to the musculoskeletal system; they also have the ability to treat patients that suffer from neurological, cardiovascular, and pulmonary disorders.

What methods do PT’s use

Some of the methods that PT’s commonly use are heat, ice, rehabilitative exercise, and manual therapy.  Heat is usually given to patients prior to their exercise to help relax the muscles and properly warm them  up before exercise. The rehabilitative exercises are the exercises that the physical  therapist decides  the patient should do after evaluating them. Manual therapy is a hands on approach in which the therapist uses their hands to stretch, massage, or strengthen the injured body part.  Ice is given to the patient usually after the exercise to help with the pain, inflammation, and swelling of the injured body part.  Physical therapists also sometimes use different types of machines that help assist in the treatment process for different injuries. These machines include low level laser, traction, electrical stimulation, interferential current, and ultrasound.2

Why is Physical Therapy Beneficial

Physical therapy is an alternative form of treatment that does not involve pharmaceutical drugs and can be very beneficial to people who are avoiding surgery, recovering from surgery, or who are doing rehabilitative exercises to help  prepare for an upcoming surgery.  Regularly making  appointments also gives patients direct and immediate access to a licensed medical professional that will always be available to answer questions about their injury.

Reference

1 Role of a Physical Therapist. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21, 2016, from  http://www.apta.org/PTCareers/RoleofaPT/

2 NLM Controlled Vocabulary. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21, 2016, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/?term=physical therapy technique