Important Benefits of Physical Therapy

Physical therapy involves putting a little pressure on yourself, but not to the point where you beat yourself up if you can’t achieve recovery as soon as possible. Full recovery doesn’t happen overnight. Therefore, you need to be patient and appreciate improvements no matter how small it is because it’s going to be a long-term project. However, if you remain still or do nothing, your joints could get stiffer, and it will be harder to move around.  

You might feel a little discomfort, but it shouldn’t be painful in doing physical therapy. You have to be consistent and follow the routine. Thus, you need all the help you can get. So, if you’re in Pennsylvania, check out Haverford physical therapy, or in other places near you, and find out the benefits of physical therapy.

Enhance Mobility

Physical therapy can help those who have difficulty walking, standing, and moving around. Physical therapists can customize a care plan for each person that involves stretching and strengthening exercises. They will also use assistive devices like canes and crutches if needed, and their main goal is to help you fully regain your ability to move.  

The purpose of stretching exercises is to improve your joints’ flexibility and range of motion. And when there is an improvement, you can continue doing your daily tasks.  

• Static Stretching – It emphasizes body alignment and posture.  

• Dynamic Stretching – The goal is to get complete motor control. 
• Pre-Contraction Stretching – Stretches the muscles to their limit to trigger the reflexes. 

Aside from stretching, you need to build strength so that your joints will stay flexible. You may consult with your physical therapist on which types of exercise are suitable for you.

Manage Health Problems

As you age, you’ll likely develop all sorts of health problems. It can be passed on to your family, genetically like diabetes, arthritis, or heart and lung diseases. And for women, anything pregnancy and post-partum related health problems like constipation, breast cancer, fibromyalgia, and pelvic pain. Physical therapy can help manage these diseases and improve quality of life with the proper treatment plan. Don’t just rely on your medications or proper diet; you also need to get healthy physically.

• Diabetes – Aside from exercising and controlling what you eat, you might feel slight discomfort in your feet or legs. And physical therapists can provide you with a foot care treatment plan. 
• Heart Disease – This is a very common illness. However, physical therapists will help you strengthen and condition your heart through breathing exercises. 
• Stroke – It can be due to an accident or health problems like diabetes or heart disease, but there’s still a chance of recovery; Physical therapy will strengthen the affected part of your body by stimulating the nerves to prevent them from getting stiff.

Recover From An Injury

Accidents can help anytime on any day. No matter how careful you are, you can get injured from sports-related activities. It is helpful for field workers and athletes as there are ways to get back on your feet and recover from the injury. Most common problems include dislocation, swollen muscles, fractures, and arm and knee injuries. Physical therapists can help you manage the pain, prevent permanent damage, and strengthen parts of your body affected by the injury.

Can Avoid Surgery

If you got into an accident where you dislocated your arm, but you’re not fond of surgery, physical therapy can help. However, you need to get surgery if your nerves were damaged or the orthopedic doctor wasn’t able to put your bone back in the normal position. Therefore, before deciding on surgery, try to consult your doctor if it’s possible to result in physical therapy. By that, it can help ease the pain of undergoing surgery and recover from the injury.  

• Rotator Cuff Tears – This can happen when you lift heavy objects or when you accidentally fall on your arm. Also, when you clean your windows often and play tennis. Basically, it’s worn and torn from using the same arm over and over.  
• Spinal Stenosis – It’s expected when you’re over fifty years old or when you injured your spine.   
• Degenerative Disk Disease – Everyone will get to experience this eventually as it’s a normal part of aging. Over time your spinal disks wear down.

Reduce Pain Post Surgery

If you underwent surgery, physical therapy could help with post-surgical recovery. It’s done through a long-term recovery plan, including pain reduction, strength building, and getting back to the full range of motion. Physical therapists will also tell you which muscle areas you need to work on. And they will recommend you exercise to target these areas.

Conclusion

The importance of physical therapy can sometimes be overlooked, but it can actually help to enhance mobility, manage health problems, recover from an injury, avoid surgery and reduce pain after surgery. Therefore, if you can, definitely contact a physical therapist.