About Physical Therapy And What It Does For You
Posted on: 22 March 2023
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Physical therapy is a type of therapy that uses a combination of education, functional exercises, and other treatments to help a patient. The aim of physical therapy is to help a patient to get relief from their chronic pain, to help them improve their range of motion, to help with conditioning and strengthening their muscles, and to help them recover faster. It is also sometimes used preventatively in order to prepare someone for surgery, so they can be expected to recover faster and with fewer possible complications. You can learn more about physical therapy by reading this article.
What to expect during your initial visit to the physical therapist
When you see the physical therapist for the first time, they will review your medical records, talk to you, and give you a physical exam. During this visit, they will identify your needs and come up with a treatment plan. This treatment plan will be like the blueprints of your medical care for your physical therapy visits from that point forward.
What to expect during your ongoing visits to physical therapy
When you go back to the physical therapist after that initial consultation, you will begin working with the physical therapist to accomplish the goals in the treatment plan. For example, a couple of the goals in your treatment plan may include getting relief from chronic pain and increasing your stamina. Therefore, when you go to physical therapy, the physical therapist will help you with treatments that can help with pain relief. Some examples of these things could include ultrasound, ice pack therapy, electrical stimulation, or other things that can help alleviate pain. Also, they will work with you on increasing your stamina. Some of the things that you may end up doing during physical therapy to improve your stamina can include swimming, riding a stationary bike, or walking on a treadmill.
What to expect over time when seeing a physical therapist
When you see a physical therapist regularly, you should start to work through the goals in your treatment plan, crossing off some and coming up with the next set of goals to meet. As you achieve one goal, then the physical therapist can help you to determine what you would like to work on next. After you have achieved all the goals determined in the initial consultation, it may be determined that you have come to a point where physical therapy has helped you get to where you wanted and needed to be.
Contact a local physical therapy service to learn more.