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Physical Therapy Exercises

by | Apr 4, 2024 | Info | 0 comments

Physical Therapy (PT) Overview

Physical therapy (PT) can help manage movement and reduce pain in people with various conditions, like neurological diseases and traumatic injuries. Physical therapists evaluate and take measures to enhance a person’s physical function.

According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), physical therapists are trained and licensed movement experts. They can diagnose and treat a range of injuries, disabilities, and health conditions.

Physical therapists aim to improve a person’s range of movement and quality of life and prevent further injury or disability.

Licensed physical therapists work in a range of healthcare settings, including outpatient offices, private practices, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, home health, sports and fitness settings, schools, hospices, occupational settings, government agencies, and research centers.

What to Expect from Physical Therapy

A physical therapist helps take care of patients in all phases of healing, from initial diagnosis to restorative and preventive stages of recovery. Physical therapy may be a standalone option, or it may support other treatments.

Some patients are referred to a physical therapist by a doctor, while others seek therapy themselves.

According to the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, a physical therapist receives training that enables them to:

  • Give self-management recommendations, including exercises a person can do at home
  • Conduct a physical exam and evaluation of a person’s movement, flexibility, muscle and joint motion, and performance, including finding out about their health history
  • give a clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and plan of care with short- and long-term goals
  • perform physical therapy treatment and intervention

Apart from physical manipulation, physical therapy treatment may involve the following:

  • Iontophoresis: This uses an electrical current to deliver certain medications, such as topical steroids. This can decrease the presence of inflammation.
  • Electrical stimulation (e-stim): There are two types of e-stim. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation reduces pain. By contrast, neuromuscular electrical stimulation works to stimulate muscular motor units to improve muscular engagement.
  • Heat, moist heat and cold therapy: These may provide benefits to a range of conditions.
  • Light therapy: This involves using special lights and lasers to treat certain medical conditions.


Common Conditions Physical Therapy May Help With

Physical therapists can provide supplementary treatment to a wide variety of medical conditions, depending on their specialty.

Although physical therapists may not directly and independently treat the medical condition other than pure musculoskeletal conditions, they work to optimize recovery or educate a person on how to optimize their movement patterns.

Some conditions that could benefit from physical therapy are:


Benefits of Physical Therapy

Depending on the reason for treatment, the benefits of physical therapy may include the following:

  • Avoiding surgery 
  • Fall prevention
  • Pain management with reduced need for opioids
  • improved mobility and movement
  • Recovery from stroke or paralysis
  • Improved balance
  • Management of age-related medical problems 
  • Recovery from injury or trauma

A sports therapist can help an athlete maximize their performance by strengthening specific parts of the body and using muscles in new ways.

A physical therapist or other healthcare professional can advise individuals about the benefits specific to their personal medical history and their need for treatment.

Types of Physical Therapy

There are many types of physical therapy, and therapists often choose to specialize. These types include:

  • Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation: This can benefit people affected by some cardiopulmonary conditions and surgical procedures. Treatment can increase muscular and cardiovascular endurance and stamina.
  • Decongestive Therapy: This can help drain accumulated fluid in patients with lymphedema and other conditions that involve fluid accumulation. 
  • Geriatric Physical Therapy: This can help older adults who develop conditions that affect their mobility and physical function, including arthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease hip and joint replacement, balance disorders, and incontinence. This type of intervention aims to restore mobility, reduce pain, and increase physical fitness levels.
  • Neurological Physical Therapy: This can help people with neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkison’s disease, spinal cord injury, and stroke. Treatment may aim to increase limb responsiveness, improve movement patterns, manage tone, improve strength, and promote balance.
  • Orthopedic Physical Therapy: This treats musculoskeletal injuries, involving the muscles, bones, ligaments, fascia, and tendons. It is suitable for conditions such as fractures, sprains, tendinitis, bursitis, chronic health problems, and rehabilitation or recovery from orthopedic surgery. Patients may undergo treatment with joint mobilizations, manual therapy, strength training, mobility training, and other modalities.
  • Pelvic floor rehabilitation: This can help treat conditions that affect the pelvic floor, such as urinary or fecal incontinence, or urinary urgency and pelvic pain as a result of injuries or surgery or because of certain conditions.
  • Vestibular Therapy: This aims to treat balance problems that can result from inner ear conditions. Vestibular physical therapy involves a number of exercises and manual techniques that can help patients regain their balance and coordination.
  • Wound Care Therapy: This can help ensure that a healing wound is receiving adequate oxygen and blood by way of improved circulation. Physical therapy may include the use of manual therapies, e-stim, compression therapy, and wound care.


Pediatric Physical Therapy

Pediatric physical therapy aims to diagnose, treat, and manage conditions that affect infants, children, and adolescents. Such conditions may include:

  • Developmental delays
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Spina bifida 
  • Torticollis
  • Other conditions that impact the musculoskeletal system

Pediatric physical therapists work to improve mobility, alleviate pain, develop or restore function, and prevent or decrease permanent physical disabilities.

They work closely with children and their families and caregivers to improve a child’s ability to function independently and actively at home and at school.

Benefits of Physical Therapy

Physical therapy provides a variety of benefits and very few risks.

Research shows that patients can experience many benefits from physical therapy, and while results vary from one case to another, such benefits may include:

  • A reduced need for surgery and medication to treat a variety of physical conditions 
  • Access to strategies to prevent further injuries and chronic pain and live an overall healthier lifestyle
  • Decreases in short-term and long-term pain and disability
  • Improved strength, balance and coordination
  • Mobility assistance in emergency situations for patients with musculoskeletal disorders 
  • Weight loss and improved mobility for those living with obesity (activity-based physical therapy, strength-training exercises monitored by a physical therapist, works best for this condition)

In certain situations, alternative intervention strategies, such as surgery and medication, may provide comparable benefits, but researchers say physical therapy often poses less risk to patients.

Risks of Physical Therapy

While physical therapy often carries fewer risks than other treatment options, it’s not risk-free. If a physical therapist isn’t properly educated or doesn’t provide an efficient or accurate treatment, pain could worsen rather than improve after a physical therapy session.

In very rare cases, a physical therapist might misdiagnose a patient’s cause of pain, such as not recognizing or noticing a fracture on imaging tests, and therefore provide the wrong treatment. Most of these risks are minimal and can be mitigated by seeing a qualified professional.

Even when working with a qualified physical therapist, it may be normal to feel sore or overwhelmed after treatment. The soreness often comes from working and strengthening targeted muscles, similar to what you might feel after a hard workout.

Emotional side effects may arise following a physical therapy session as well. Patients also might find themselves overwhelmed with the treatment timeline or protocol. A good physical therapist will help patients through this process.

 

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