What is Physical Therapy?

It's likely that you or someone you know has used physical therapy to address mobility or pain issues. Your doctor may recommend this treatment if you have difficulty completing daily tasks due to injury or illness. So what is physical therapy? What does physical therapy do? How does it help you? We will introduce it in detail in this article.

What is physiotherapy?

Physical therapy, often abbreviated to PT, is a popular rehabilitation treatment designed to help patients increase or restore functional movement and range of motion. It is usually performed to address an injury, illness, or disability.

The goals of physical therapy are to relieve pain, promote health, mobility, and independent function to help you move better or strengthen weak muscles. Not only can physical rehabilitation be done in a clinic or hospital, you can and should continue to do it on your own at home.

Physical therapy includes:

1. Practice doing certain actions on your own initiative;

2. The therapist will perform guided passive movements and apply pressure (massage) for you;

3. Treatment based on physical stimulation, such as heat, cold, electric current or ultrasound.

These methods are used to treat acute and chronic symptoms, as well as to prevent future problems or for recovery after long-term medical problems, surgery, or injury. The most appropriate type of physical therapy depends on the symptoms and specific medical problem, as well as whether the patient has pain for a short or long period of time. His or her personal preferences and overall physical health also come into play.

What does physical therapy do?

Physical therapy can be used as part of an overall rehabilitative care plan for people who have experienced an injury, surgery, or have a chronic illness. Physical therapy allows you to move your body safely and effectively while minimizing pain in the process. These therapeutic exercises can also improve your strength, range of motion, flexibility, and balance. Physical therapy can be beneficial in many situations. Some benefits of physical therapy include:

1. Improve activity ability

Stretching and strengthening exercises can improve your mobility, especially everyday activities like walking up and down stairs. This may be helpful for older adults with limited mobility or those with chronic conditions such as arthritis.

2. Solve neurological related diseases

Physical therapy can be used to help strengthen weak areas of the body and improve posture and balance.

3. Control pain

Physical therapy can help relieve pain and may help reduce or eliminate the use of opioids for pain relief.

4. Recovering from sports injuries

Physical therapy can treat and return patients to a variety of injuries, including groin strains, shin sprains, shoulder injuries, ankle sprains, knee injuries, and tendonitis, to normalcy.

5. Manage health conditions

In addition to treating conditions like arthritis and sports injuries, physical therapy can help with issues like urinary incontinence, pelvic floor issues, fibromyalgia, or lymphedema.

6. Recovering from Surgery

Research shows that physical therapy can help people undergoing surgery speed recovery and improve functional outcomes.

How long does physical therapy last?

The duration of physical therapy depends on the condition being treated and your individual recovery rate. Your physical therapist will customize your plan based on your individual needs. When you complete your session, your physical therapist will monitor your progress and determine if your range of motion, function, and strength have improved.

To keep your physical therapy plan on track, it's important to follow home exercises and keep consistent appointments during treatment. In some cases, your physical therapist may instruct you to continue exercising at home even after your visit ends.

Physical therapy is a combination of exercise, hands-on care, and education used to restore healthy movement and relieve pain. Many people receive physical therapy to treat injuries, disabilities, or other health conditions. However, you can also use physical therapy as a health exercise to improve functional movement and prevent injury.