You may be wondering if or not you are a candidate for physical therapy (PT), or question whether physical therapy can help your ailment. This is an easy question for most physical therapists to answer: Yes, most people benefit from some form of physical therapy, whether their problem is simple (like an ankle sprain) or more severe (like a serious neurological disorder. At Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle, our physical therapists describe PT as conservative treatment that addresses the healing, management, and prevention of disabilities and injuries.
Physical therapy uses non-invasive and non-medical techniques and tools to help you improve total body function. Our physical therapist focuses on relief of pain, promotion of healing, restoration of function and movement, and adaption and facilitation associated with the injury involved. PT also focuses on body mechanics training, wellness, and fitness so you can improve your quality of life. Our physical therapist uses exercise, cold therapy, heat treatments, electricity, and therapeutic massage to achieve the goals of restoring maximum functioning to each individual patient.
Physical therapists are licensed health care professionals with a master’s degree or doctorate degree in physical therapy. These specialists can evaluate, diagnose, and manage your treatment plan. These therapists work with a team of other health care professionals and under the direction of an orthopedic surgeon.
How Does Physical Therapy Help me Recover from Injury?
PT can help you recover from an injury and avoid further injury by improving flexibility and function, building muscle strength, and reducing the pain in the soft tissues. These structures include the tendons, muscles, and ligaments. Our physical therapist can evaluate how you currently do an activity and provide suggestions for ways to do this activity to prevent injury and improve your range of motion. Following are examples of injuries for which physical therapy is helpful:
Back pain
Plantar fasciitis
Menisus Tear
Rotator Cuff Trauma
Wrist Pain
Elbow Pain
Surgery
How Can Physical Therapy Help with Chronic Health Conditions?
PT can also help you live with chronic and ongoing health conditions. Our physical therapist will work with you to help establish goals and then create a workable program for you. This physical therapy program will involve range of motion activities, strengthening exercises, endurance techniques, and other tools of the trade. Some chronic conditions that physical therapy can help include:
Spinal stenosis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Multiple Sclerosis
Temporomandibular problems
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Parkinson’s disease
Vertigo
Degenerative disc disease
Chronic fatigue and weakness
Bowel or bladder incontinence
Osteoporosis
How Can Physical Therapy Help with Health Conditions of Childhood?
Our physical therapists can also work with children who have major injuries and health problems to address the different conditions. Each individual child’s special growth and development needs are assessed and a special treatment plan for each is developed. Some of the health conditions of childhood that can be treated with physical therapy include:
Muscular dystrophy
Juvenile arthritis
Cerebral palsy
Osgood Schlatter’s disease
Congenital birth defects
Contact us if you are a candidate for physical therapy.
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