Overview on Physical Therapy:
- Physical Therapy is a safe, conservative, and effective way to relieve pain, improve mobility, and reduce the need for surgery and prescription medications. Increasing mobility and relieving pain can improve quality of life and is important for maintaining independence.
- Patients who participate in Physical Therapy before having a total knee or hip replacement have demonstrated a more speedy recovery after the surgery.
- Physical Therapy is an excellent alternative for managing chronic pain instead of relying on prescription drugs. Certain prescription pain medications, called opioids, can be addictive and have harmful side effects, and often mask the problem instead of treating it.
- PT has also been proven to be effective in avoiding surgery and costly imaging such as MRIs for conditions including low back pain, meniscus tears, rotator cuff tears, osteoarthritis, and more.
Physical Therapy Can Help You By:
- Developing a safe and individualized exercise program based on your specific needs to increase strength, decrease pain, and improve mobility. The therapist ensures that the exercises are done safely and with proper technique so that you are able to continue independently at home. This allows you to actively participate in your own recovery.
- Manual therapy is a hands-on approach often used in therapy sessions to reduce pain and increase range of motion. Techniques include joint and soft tissue mobilization and massage cupping if necessary.
- Physical Therapy can also help prevent falls. Physical Therapists can assess your risk for falling and provide tips for making your home as safe as possible, working on balance exercises, and educating you on what to do in the event of a fall.
- Posture is another area of focus in Physical Therapy and plays an important role in all of our everyday activities. Physical Therapists can assess posture and educate on proper body mechanics as well as offer recommendations for an ergonomic work space.
Click here to download this article as a pdf.