What Is Physical Therapy? How to Feel and Function Better
Your doctor might suggest this type of treatment if you’ve had an injury or illness that makes it hard to do daily tasks. Physical therapy (PT) is care that aims to ease pain and help you function, move, and live better. You may need it to:
- Relieve pain
- Improve movement or ability
- Prevent or recover from a sports injury
- Prevent disability or surgery
- Rehab after a stroke, accident, injury, or surgery
- Work on balance to prevent a slip or fall
- Manage a chronic illness like diabetes, heart disease, or arthritis
- Recover after you give birth
- Control your bowels or bladder
- Adapt to an artificial limb
- Learn to use assistive devices like a walker or cane
- Get a splint or brace
People of all ages get physical therapy. It can treat a variety of health problems.
What Is a Physical Therapist?
These licensed health professionals get specific graduate training in physical therapy. You may hear them called PTs or physiotherapists.
What Does a PT Do?
At your first therapy session, your PT will examine and assess your needs. He’ll ask you questions about your pain or other symptoms, your ability to move or do everyday tasks, how well you sleep, and your medical history.
- How well you can move around, reach, bend, or grasp
- How well you walk or climb steps
- Your heartbeat or rhythm while active
- Your posture or balance
Then, they will work with you to create a treatment plan. It will include your personal goals like functioning and feeling better, plus exercises or other treatments to help you reach them.
You may take less or more time to reach those goals than other people in physical therapy. Everyone is different. You may also have more or fewer sessions than others. It just depends on your needs.
You treatments might include:
- Exercises or stretches guided by your therapist
- Massage, heat, or cold therapy, warm water therapy, or ultrasound to ease muscle pain or spasms
- Rehab to help you learn to use an artificial limb
- Practice with gadgets that help you move or stay balanced, like a cane or walker
Your therapist will watch your progress and adjust your treatments as necessary.
You can do the exercises your therapist teaches you at home between sessions. This will help you stay on track and improve your fitness.
New Mexico Orthopaedics is a multi-disciplinary orthopaedic clinic located in Albuquerque New Mexico. We have multiple physical therapy clinics located throughout the Albuquerque metro area.
New Mexico Orthopaedics offers a full spectrum of services related to orthopaedic care and our expertise ranges from acute conditions such as sports injuries and fractures to prolonged, chronic care diagnoses, including total joint replacement and spinal disorders.
Because our team of highly-trained physicians specialize in various aspects of the musculoskeletal system, our practice has the capacity to treat any orthopaedic condition, and offer related support services, such as physical therapy, WorkLink and much more.
If you need orthopedic care in Albuquerque New Mexico contact New Mexico Orthopaedics at 505-724-4300.