By: Chelsea Lamb | July 18, 2021
Dealing with pain, lost mobility, and other physical issues is never fun. Thankfully, physical therapy can often provide healing and even make you stronger and healthier than before. For everything from ACL tears to Morton’s neuroma, professional physical therapy programs can provide treatment for a wide variety of conditions, so you don’t need to resort to surgery or prescription medication for relief.
What a Physical Therapist Does
If you haven’t had physical therapy before, you might be wondering what a physical therapy program looks like. As Verywell Health explains, a physical therapist will examine you to evaluate your condition. This could include things like a range of motion check, pain assessment, evaluation of coordination, and a discussion about your goals.
Your therapist will construct a treatment program tailored to your circumstances. Your program could include things like stretches, treadmill use, resistance exercises, massage therapy, and ultrasound therapy.
From there, you will typically be given some exercises to do. You will also meet with a therapist regularly to check progress and make any modifications to your treatment plan.
Doing Your Homework
Since keeping up your treatment program is crucial to success, many people find it helpful to create a home gym. That way, when the weather is poor or your schedule is swamped, you still have the opportunity to stick to your assembling an ideal home gym, choose a space
When it comes to assembling an ideal home gym, choose a space that you can dedicate to your workout. It helps to be practical and pick an area that you can use for other functions, as needed. You need enough room to stretch out and use equipment, but most people don’t need an expansive space to dedicate to a home gym. In fact, if you don’t have it in your budget to create a home gym, you can easily exercise in most rooms of your house. For example, you might do chair dips using a chair from your dining room or do push-ups on the kitchen counter.
Why Physical Therapy?
You might think surgery is inevitable or that you can take medication to overcome the pain you’re experiencing. However, physical therapy can often help you avoid surgery and drug therapy, saving you money and improving your physical condition along the way.
Here are some examples of why physical therapy might be best for you.
- Harvard Health Publishing cites studies that indicate PT can often be as effective in resolving back pain as surgery, and less risk is involved.
- For certain knee injuries, some experts recognize PT as a more effective medical treatment than arthroscopic surgery.
- According to studies cited by HealthDay News, PT can be a more useful tool in reducing joint pain than taking opioids.
- Some research indicates PT is crucial for recovering from ankle injuries.
- There is evidence that people who sustain concussions can benefit from adding physical therapy in their recovery process.
If you have an injury that would benefit from physical therapy, book an appointment with Brewer Physical Therapy today!
Post-Surgical Physical Therapy
Surgeries can’t always be avoided, such as when you are involved in an accident or if it is part of recovery from a major illness event. Physical therapy is often prescribed as part of the recovery process after surgery. It can also help you regain mobility and wellness.
In post-surgical physical therapy, your therapist will design a program dedicated to enhancing the healing process. This can mean reduced scar tissue, a quicker and more complete recovery, and avoiding more injuries in the future.
You might be uncomfortable in the beginning, but physical exercise after surgery can be crucial to avoiding blood clots. This is why it is very important to fully engage in the program as prescribed.
Achieving Long-Term Success
Whatever your circumstances and goals happen to be, it’s crucial to stick with your program. Your physical therapist will work with you throughout the process, adjusting exercises and checking that you are continuing in the right direction.
For instance, if you are recovering from a knee replacement, failure to comply with your physical therapy could result in the creation of new health issues, such as lower back problems and deterioration in your other leg.
PT can be a helpful tool in regaining your quality of life. If you are experiencing pain and are considering surgery, explore all your options. Studies have shown that PT has many benefits and can replace certain surgical and drug treatments. You might be able to resolve your issues with a licensed physical therapist. The results can include becoming stronger and healthier than ever.
Our clinics are located in Shreveport, South Bossier City, East Bossier City, and Minden, Louisiana. Additionally, we can also easily provide your physical therapy through our Telehealth PT (or Virtual Visit) platform if you are located anywhere in the state of Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee or Utah!
Source:
https://www.webmd.com
