Role of Physical Therapy/Rehabilitation
What are the meat and potatoes of physical therapy ("PT")? In essence, physical therapists are experts in movement and recovery for people with physical ailments, either non-surgical related or post-surgical. In the orthopedic world, a good portion of the patient population in PT clinics have some version of spinal pain, usually low back (lumbar) or neck (cervical). Next, people with joint issues such as knee, shoulder, or lower leg and ankle come to PT clinics. In addition to the above, 1st Choice Physical Therapy clinics treat people with other issues as well such as gait and balance, men's and women's pelvic health and pelvic floor, and vertigo/vestibular.
The Process
First, we identify physical impairments among a number of factors such as pain level, joint stiffness/decreased range of motion, flexibility, strength, balance/stability, walking/gait, and decreased functional mobility. Next, we introduce movement to aid in the healing process. These movements are done to teach quality movement patterns within the person's tolerance to eventually turn into fuller pain free motion. After proper movement patterns are applied and motion is improved, then strengthening of certain muscle groups to further enhance stability is included. The last steps are in a lot of ways the most important, which are functional re-training and injury prevention.
Functional Re-Training and Injury Prevention
Functional re-training is what we focus on towards the end of the rehabilitation process, making certain people have a good idea how to perform certain activities and exercises more easily. This ensures less chance of re-injury down the line. One example of this would be for a patient with shoulder pain while picking up a child from the ground, to keep the arms close to their body the best they can to decrease any shoulder strain.
Injury prevention includes tips on functional movement patterns and certain home exercises to progress overall strength, stability, and range of motion going forward, decreasing the chance of future re-injury.
Get in touch with a 1st Choice Physical Therapist if you want to improve your range of motion, stability, strength, balance or mobility and keep enjoying your life!
