What Are The Benefits of Physical Therapy?
Suppose you’re dealing with a condition, have consulted with a doctor, or were confined in a hospital. In that case, it’s most likely that the doctor who attended to you has given you a referral slip for physical therapy for preventive, restorative, and pain management purposes.
What Is Physical Therapy?
Also called physiotherapy and abbreviated as PT, it is a form of restorative and rehabilitative care that uses exercises and equipment to help restore mobility, strength, range of motion, movement, overall functions, and quality of life. Physical therapy’s focus is also on decreasing pain and preventing further injuries.
The health professionals who provide physical therapy to patients are called physical therapists or physiotherapists. They have the education and training to work with people of all ages, from infants and children to adults and the elderly. They use prescribed exercises, patient education and manual therapy to minimise pain and improve the patient’s physical function.
Physiotherapy treatment can occur in rehabilitation centres, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, schools, sports and fitness settings, occupational settings, and physiotherapy clinics.
What Are The Benefits of Physical Therapy?
Dependent upon the reason for treatment, the advantages of physiotherapy may include the following.
- Pain management.
Therapeutic exercises can help in restoring joint and muscle functions. This can reduce pain and prevent pain from returning.
- You can avoid surgery.
Physical therapy helps eliminate pain and heal an injury; therefore, you may not need surgery. If surgery is necessary, pre and post-surgical rehabilitation will help you recover quickly.
- Injury Recovery and Prevention.
Engaging in sports can increase the risk of getting injured. Physiotherapists can provide personalised treatment and exercises to ensure you stay as safe as possible.
- Minimised Need For Prescription Drugs.
Once you can manage your pain, you will need to take prescription drugs less.
- Improve Your Mobility and Movement.
Exercises such as strengthening and stretching can help restore your ability to move. This applies to people of all ages.
- Recovery from Stroke or Paralysis.
You tend to lose some movement and function if you’ve had a stroke. PT will rebuild your strength in the body parts that have become weak.
- Your balance will be improved, thereby preventing falls.
- Help you manage age-related issues. Arthritis and osteoporosis are two age-related conditions. Physical therapy can help you minimise or eliminate their symptoms.
- Manage lung and heart diseases. Following a heart procedure or a heart attack, PT can help. You can be guided in breathing exercises, strengthening and conditioning for pulmonary problems.
Common Conditions That Can Be Helped by Physical Therapy
There is a long list of conditions that can get help or treatment from physical therapy, but here are some of the most common.
* Sports-related injuries. Sprains, stress fractures, or ligament tears are examples of sports injuries.
* Muscular Dystrophy. This condition is characterised by loss of muscle mass and progressive weakness.
* Lymphedema. When fluid builds up under the skin of arms and legs, swelling occurs. Complete Decongestive Therapy by a physiotherapist can help reduce the swelling and prevent further buildup of fluid.
* Long Lasting Back and Neck Pain.
These are chronic and can restrict your normal daily functions. PT can help minimise pain while improving mobility in these body parts.
* Parkinson’s Disease. This condition causes tremors and motor limitations.
Your physical therapist can help you increase your strength, mobility, balance and independence.
* Healing After Surgery. Physical therapy can teach your body to move again with less pain and discomfort during recovery, getting you to your former fitness level.
Summary
Physiotherapy offers numerous benefits, including reducing pain and other symptoms, improving mobility, physical function and balance, rehabilitation and prevention of future injuries related to a chronic condition.
Your doctor can issue you a referral for physical therapy. You may self-refer, depending on your insurance.
If you’re looking for a physiotherapy and rehabilitation centre, please check out Mission Walk Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Centre. We offer comprehensive, personalised services for rehabilitation and treatment for children and adults. Our PT team is committed to providing you or someone you care about with treatment and care suited to your specific needs, and our customer care to answer all your queries.
