Physical therapy is the field of medicine that helps you decrease pain and improve mobility, strengthen the muscles, and rehabilitate after injury. It’s also a growing field in its own right; physical therapists are often called on to provide assessment and treatment for neuromuscular conditions such as disease or to consult on robotics design.
Sadly many people don’t know what physical therapy is or how it can help them. What is physical therapy? If a patient is experiencing pain or limited mobility in their joints, muscles, or nerves, physical therapy can help.
Reviewing patients’ medical histories:
Physical therapists meet with patients to review their medical history and condition details. This helps them to determine what kind of treatment or physical therapy plan is best for each patient. You can consider physical therapy jobs as a career.
Physical assessments:
Physical therapists do a physical examination, which includes observing the patient while they move, to assess their mobility and motor skills.
Diagnosing patients:
Physical therapists also use tests to diagnose joint and muscle problems. They can check the range of movement of joints and muscles, which helps to determine what kind of treatment may be best for each patient. Physical therapists can easily use equipment like EMG, videofluoroscopic imaging, and ultrasound machines for these assessments.
Developing individualized treatment plans:
Physical therapists work with patients to develop individualized treatment plans. A treatment plan is a specific set of goals to achieve over time. Physical therapists use this plan to guide their treatment with each patient.
Physical therapists use this plan to guide their treatment with each patient. Physical therapy treatment plans: For example, if muscle spasms cause your shoulder pain, physical therapists will develop an exercise program to help relieve the pain.
For example, if muscle spasms cause your shoulder pain, physical therapists will develop an exercise program to help relieve the pain.
Physical therapy treatments:
Once they design a plan for your treatment, physical therapists will work on it.
Outlining clear goals:
Physical therapists work with you to outline clear goals. They help you focus on the goal daily, which helps to give you motivation and keep you moving toward your specific treatment goals.
Recording patients’ progress:
Physical therapists also record patients’ progress to track and help determine when a patient should be released from physical therapy treatment.
Treating patients with joint injections:
Physical therapists can also give joint injections in certain situations, such as steroid injections for inflammation of the knee or corticosteroid injections for a stiff shoulder.
Recommending braces and other devices:
Physical therapists may recommend certain braces or other devices to help patients get better.
Making referrals:
Physical therapists sometimes refer their patients to another professional, like a surgeon, depending on the patient’s condition and what she needs to achieve her specific recovery goals.
Educating patients and family members:
Physical therapists educate patients after completing their treatment plan to help patients maintain their physical therapy benefits. Physical therapists also educate their patients’ family members, whether they are children or adults, on what is normal for each step in the recovery process and how they can help.
Teaching technique and exercises:
Physical therapists teach their patients specific exercises they can do at home to continue working on specific goals outlined in their treatment plan. Physical therapists can teach patients how to perform these exercises correctly and safely, so they can get better with them.
Encouraging patients:
Physical therapists also encourage their patients to work on their recovery every day and ensure that they continue to exercise, apply heat, and use ice-cold packs as prescribed by their physical therapists.
Keeping track of patient progress:
Physical therapists keep track of patients’ progress throughout their treatment.
Reminding patients to exercise:
Physical therapists remind their patients to stay active and encourage them to exercise at home.
Recommending additional treatment:
If the patient cannot improve despite doing her exercises, the physical therapist may recommend additional treatment that wasn’t part of the initial treatment plan, such as a different form of physical therapy more suited to help that patient recover.
Conclusion:
Physical therapists are important healthcare team members who help patients get back to their normal lives after an injury or surgery. Physical therapists continue treatment throughout recovery and even after patients have been released, which helps maintain the benefits gained from physical therapy.
