Who Needs It?
Anyone at anytime at any age may need physical therapy. Whenever an illness or injury limits your ability to function normally, you can benefit from physical therapy. While there are dozens of specific reasons anyone might need therapy, we will cover seven basic reasons for physical therapy. Chances are your reason will fit into one these.
Just like you sometimes wonder if you need to see a physician, you may wonder if you really need physical therapy. We understand your hesitancy. Can physical therapy help your problem? Ever since the field emerged to help soldiers returning from World War I, physical therapists have used their knowledge to help people recover, manage, or prevent injuries and illness.
Physical Therapy Helps You Recover
Your body has an amazing capacity to heal itself. Physical therapy builds on that capacity so you can recover more completely and more quickly than simply letting nature take its course. You probably won’t need to debate the benefit of it when you are recovering from a serious illness or injury. Your limitations are obvious, and so is your need for assistance in recovering.
Recovery encompasses three main reasons for physical therapy:
- Recovering from Injury. Whether your injury was the result of a car accident, sports injury, or work injury, if you ended up in an emergency room, chances are you will need physical therapy to help you recover. Acute trauma to the body requires medical intervention. The more acute the injury the more important it is to include physical therapy as part of your recovery plan.
Before your body is fully healed it is vulnerable to re-injury. Let your physical therapist guide you in recovering safely. Our goal is to help you recover fully. We will educate you with the proper regimen of exercise. You will know what to do and how frequently for your optimum benefit.
- Recovering from Surgery. Is knee or hip replacement in your future? Then your doctor will likely prescribe physical therapy for you following the surgery. Your doctor understands the need for it and doesn’t want you to injure yourself needlessly during your recovery. Physical therapy will safely return you to your former mobility.
Other surgeries often demand lengthy recovery periods. The longer that bed rest confines your body the more likely you will need to rebuild your strength. Physical therapy will shorten your recovery and shorten it safely.
Physical Therapy Helps You Manage
When complete recovery isn’t possible, you learn to live with your condition. However, that doesn’t mean giving up on your situation. There are still things you can do to alleviate pain or improve your health as much as possible. Two common reasons for physical therapy include managing chronic pain and chronic diseases:
- Managing Chronic Pain. Not all injuries result in sharp or acute pain. Dull or chronic pain can also be addressed through physical therapy. Exercises can alleviate such conditions as sciatica, tendonitis, and lumbago. When pain strikes, you will know what to do to reduce the impact. Learning appropriate stretching and strengthening exercises could help you reduce your reliance on pain medications.
- Managing Chronic Diseases. Of course, medications are essential in treating chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and lung diseases – but did you know that physical therapy could also help you?
The right mix of aerobic and strengthening exercises can help manage blood sugar, for example. Physical therapists can also teach breathing exercises. While therapy won’t replace your need for medication, the better shape your body is in, the better you will be able to cope with chronic symptoms.
Physical Therapy Is Preventative
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Physical therapy offers you the knowledge and skills to prevent many injuries and improve your overall health. Therapy shouldn’t be thought of as a treatment of last resort. It can be your first line of defense!
- Avoid Injury. If you have suffered a previous injury to your body, don’t wait for another injury to occur before considering therapy. Address that weakened ankle today. Strong bones and muscles are less susceptible to injury.
If you have escaped injury so far, don’t count on good luck to keep you injury-free! The more active your lifestyle, the more likely injury will eventually happen. Our therapists can provide targeted exercises based on your activities to keep you strong.
- Avoid Surgery. Some conditions can be improved through physical therapy. It’s best to try less invasive interventions first. If you can improve your back pain enough through therapy, you might avoid back surgery. And if physical therapy doesn’t work sufficiently to alleviate your pain, your body will be stronger and better able to recover from surgery.
- Avoid Falls. Actors and comedians have mastered the art of falling to make us laugh. In real life, a fall is no laughing matter. Especially as we age, a fall can have serious consequences. A hip fracture in later life could compromise your ability to live independently. Don’t let that happen if you can avoid it.
Physical therapy can help you improve your balance. As we age, we lose our sense of balance, resulting in falls. Anticipating this eventuality, you can focus on incorporating balance exercises into your daily regimen. You can even learn how minimize the impact if and when you fall.
We’re Here to Help
Your reason for physical therapy is unique. Midland Physical Therapy will tailor your treatment plan to meet your specific need, whether it’s recovering, managing, or preventing injury.
When you schedule an appointment, we’ll provide a thorough assessment of your current condition. We get to the source of your problem, so your treatment appropriately targets your needs and symptoms. We will take the time to get to know you—your schedule, lifestyle, and commitment level to therapy. Our lives aren’t always ideal. We work within realistic restraints.
We also know how important your relationship with your therapist is during your recovery. Our clients typically work with one therapist for the duration of their treatments. It’s important to have consistency. Your therapist will monitor your progress and setbacks. You need to develop trust, and that means working with the same therapist over time.
We offer a comprehensive array of equipment and exercises at our facility. We have everything you might need here. However, we also provide in-home therapy when a private, home setting makes more sense for you and for family caregivers. It’s your physical therapy and we are committed to making it work for you.
What’s holding you back? Our goal is to make your life better. You are one phone call away from the road to recovery, learning new coping skills, or keeping your good health from becoming derailed by injury. Call Midland Physical Therapy today. Let’s get started!
Links:
http://running.competitor.com/2014/07/photos/6-reasons-to-go-see-a-physical-therapist_55283
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