Benefits of Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is a common type of rehabilitation care that focuses on correctly diagnosing and treating your pain, injuries, and movement dysfunction. In many cases, it is considered a conservative approach for dealing with various musculoskeletal problems.
Physical therapists are usually health professionals who generally use targeted techniques and treatments to reduce pain, restore mobility, and improve the range of motion. Physical therapists are also trained to work with people of all ages by using prescribed exercise and manual therapy and improving patient education.
The main focus of physical therapy is to improve strength, mobility, range of motion, overall functioning, and quality of life. It also helps in the prevention of any further injuries.
Benefits Of Physical Therapy
Physical therapy has a lot of benefits. Let’s look at some benefits physical therapy can provide in keeping you healthy and fit.
- Personalized treatment tailored according to your needs – When you arrive for your first physical therapy treatment, your physical therapists will thoroughly evaluate your physical function and then prepare a specialized treatment plan based on your unique needs, condition, and goals. Physical therapists are usually skilled professionals in physical function and movement who can safely and gradually progress you from the state of your baseline and evaluation to greater strength, flexibility, and mobility.
- Maximizing your mobility – In case you struggle to walk, stand, and move easily, a trained physical therapist can be beneficial in treating the condition. Physical therapists are experts in treating movement dysfunction. An experienced and certified physical therapist will identify the underlying issues contributing to your mobility and train you in stretching and strengthening exercises to restore your ability to move, stand or walk without pain or discomfort.
- Reducing pain and avoiding opioids – With a prescription, opioids can be beneficial in treating certain conditions when properly dosed for medical treatment; the ongoing opioid crisis reveals one of the most dangerous side effects and the risk of addiction for those people using opioids. Physical therapy is always one of the safest and non-invasive ways of managing pain, especially chronic pain, that is useful for treating the source of the pain for long-lasting relief.
- Avoiding surgery – Before undergoing any extensive or invasive surgery, you can try physical therapy, which can be very helpful for addressing the pain and other musculoskeletal issues in a person. Physical therapy has proven effective in treating various conditions, such as knee osteoarthritis, rotator cuff tears, spinal stenosis, and back pain.
- Recover from stroke – A stroke can significantly impact your function, may limit your ability to move, and may also require impaired limbs. A physical therapist has expertise in working with stroke survivors to strengthen your body’s weakened areas and may further improve your gait and balance. A physical therapist may also help you to relearn your daily activities to make you independent as much as possible post-stroke.
- Prevent or recover from sports-related injuries – Physical therapy can be beneficial for athletes in improving their strength, endurance, strength, and flexibility before or after any injury. Physical therapists are trained to help you safely rehabilitate after a sports injury and follow certain guidelines to heal from any injury and avoid any further injuries altogether.
- Prevent falls and improve your balance – A trained and experienced physical therapist often offers your fall risk screens for assessing your risk of falling. In case you are at higher risk of falling, a physical therapist can work with you to help you in improving your balance with the help of various balance training exercises. For example, if you are suffering from balance-related issues due to the vestibular system, the therapist may use vestibular rehabilitation to address your issues.
- Manage age-related health issues – As you get older, you may suffer from various health-related conditions such as arthritis, joint pain, etc. Physical therapists are qualified enough to help you recover from such problems with multiple therapies, such as joint replacement surgery to strengthen the muscles around your joint to improve your overall quality of movement and function. A trained and experienced physical therapist can be beneficial in providing the proper treatment for age-related health issues.
Conclusion
Physical therapy helps restore movement and function if you suffer from specific injuries, illnesses, or disabilities. Physical therapy is also very effective in helping you to reduce the risk of any injury or disease in the future. Physical therapists are movement experts qualified to treat patients of all ages and conditions to improve physical function, mobility, and quality of life. Physical therapy not only helps reduce the risk of surgery but also provides treatment for various musculoskeletal and neurological issues in the human body.
