What Does a Physical Therapist Do?
Physical therapists work with your doctor to examine, evaluate, and treat individuals who may be suffering from one (or more) of many different conditions. For instance, physical therapists work with individuals experiencing back pain, neck pain, injuries affecting joints, carpal tunnel syndrome, burns, joint replacement, developmental disabilities, arthritis, sports injuries…honestly, the list goes on and on. Basically, if it’s a condition or ailment that is affecting your ability to move freely and pain free, a visit to a physical therapist is probably not far off.
What Are Some of the Things Physical Therapy Can Do For Me?
Physical therapy can provide a viable, conservative option to surgery. While it’s true that surgery is the best course of treatment for a variety of illnesses and injuries, there is mounting evidence that shows that – in some cases – physical therapy can be a great alternative.
Physical therapy can improve both mobility and range of motion. Being able to move is a pretty essential part of life, wouldn’t you agree? And, if you’re having trouble with moving or getting around, your quality of life is definitely going to be effected. Physical therapy can help you rehab from an existing injury, as well as help prevent injuries by working with patients to improve strength, coordination, balance, and flexibility.
Physical therapy can help manage your pain without long-term use of pain medication.
Physical therapists can help their patients get control of their pain which, in turn, can help in reducing the need for having to use pain medications for extended periods of time. Now, that’s not to say that pain medications don’t have their place in the treatment of both acute and chronic ailments, because they most certainly do. However, physical therapy provides a great alternative in regards to managing pain.
If physical therapy is something that you would be interested in pursuing, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. Dr. Hurlbut and Dr. Krejci would be more than happy to evaluate your condition and, if they feel physical therapy would be of benefit to you, get you set up on a course with a physical therapist. One of the many benefits of having our team of physical therapists “in house” is that there is never any delay in communication between therapist and doctor, which makes for a more conducive, higher quality of care for our patients! Make sure to check back for our next blog where we’ll discuss some of the techniques utilized by our physical therapy staff.
source: moveforwardpt.com; webmd.com