Through a holistic approach, physical therapy aids patients in their healing journey by providing education and hands-on care. They create personalized treatment plans that alleviate pain, improve mobility and enhance the body’s natural healing process.
By improving strength and balance, physical therapy can help prevent future injuries and reduce the need for surgery. Additionally, therapists educate patients on proper body mechanics and ergonomics, empowering them to take control of their recovery and heal faster. Visit Website to learn more.
A warm, soft heating pad wrapped around a tight shoulder or a crisply chilled ice pack placed against an aching knee can both alleviate pain and speed up the healing process. The cold therapy numbs sharp, burning pain and decreases swelling, while the heat increases circulation to speed up recovery. Your physical therapist can suggest which option is best for you based on your specific injury or chronic health issue.
Hot and cold therapies are also an easy at-home treatment option for people who have a painful muscle strain or joint problem. However, it’s important to know which method is right for you and how often you should use each one. For example, using too much heat for long periods of time can cause burns and skin damage, while ice therapy can lead to frostbite. Your therapist will recommend the proper temperature and duration of each therapy to ensure your safety.
Cold therapy is effective in relieving pain from acute injuries, like sprains or abrasions, and chronic health issues, such as arthritis. It works by promoting vasoconstriction or constriction of blood vessels, which slows down the flow of blood to the injured area and reduces inflammation and swelling. In addition, it helps to ease pain by numbing the sharp, burning sensations caused by an injury or pain due to chronic conditions.
Applying ice or other forms of cold therapy to a sore muscle can also help improve the flexibility of the tendons and ligaments in the affected area, reduce inflammation, and reduce pain and stiffness. For instance, a cold compress can ease the inflammation from an achy knee and allow you to walk normally again.
Heat therapy can be delivered in a variety of ways, including dry heat, such as heated pads or a sauna. Moist heat involves heat combined with moisture, such as steamed towels or even some types of baths. And cryotherapy, which is a newer trend, involves spending a brief amount of time in a freezing or near-freezing chamber. Regardless of the type of heat you choose, your therapist will recommend that you apply it to a smaller area than a full body treatment, since too much heat can burn or cause other types of skin damage.
Massage
Recovering from an injury requires more than just rest; it necessitates specialized care and attention to restore strength, mobility and functionality. Physical therapy plays a crucial role in this recovery process, delivering patients the guidance, support and targeted exercises they need to get back to doing what they love.
One of the main ways that massage aids in recovery and healing is by increasing blood circulation. This increase in circulation allows for a greater delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the injured area, which in turn helps speed up healing.
Another way that massage increases healing is by breaking down and realigning muscle fibres. After an injury, collagen fibres often form adhesions, which restrict movement and prevent the muscle from fully recovering. During a massage, the collagen fibres are broken down and realigned using a range of techniques that improve lymph flow, increase movement and decrease pain.
Massage also helps increase healing by removing waste products and toxins from the body. Waste products and toxins can block soft tissue from healing, but the application of strokes during a massage stimulates the lymphatic system in the body to flush out waste and toxins naturally.
The reduction in inflammation from a massage is also a key part of its recovery benefits. Inflammation is caused by a release of cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone that can lead to mood disturbances and a lack of energy. Studies have shown that massage reduces cortisol levels, enabling the body to recover stronger and faster.
In addition, massage provides a natural pain reliever by stimulating the release of endorphins, which are the body’s natural feel-good chemicals that can help alleviate pain and elevate mood. The combination of these effects is why many people find that a good massage can be as effective as prescription medications in treating pain and anxiety.
Physical therapy is a comprehensive treatment option that includes manual therapy, such as massage, therapeutic exercise and the use of modalities like heat and cold, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, and iontophoresis. Each of these treatments is chosen based on the specific needs and conditions of each patient, ensuring an individually tailored approach that supports recovery and healing.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound therapy uses sound waves to promote movement of body tissues and warms up your skin, increasing blood flow and thereby helping to reduce pain. This procedure is often used as part of a comprehensive treatment plan for injuries and other health issues, like chronic back pain, shoulder or knee problems, muscle spasms, joint conditions, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Therapeutic ultrasound is different from medical sonography, which is usually used for diagnostic imaging. During diagnostic sonography, a physical or occupational therapist inserts the device into your body, either in the form of a wand or probe. In contrast, during therapeutic ultrasound, the therapist applies a conductive gel to the area that needs to be treated and then glides the ultrasound head over the surface of your skin in circular motions.
The physical therapist may also choose to use the bladder technique, in which case you lie on your back while the therapist places the ultrasound wand against the surface of your body with the gel pressed over it. This allows you to relax and provides additional comfort during the treatment session.
In addition to the warming effects of therapeutic ultrasound, it is believed that the mechanical vibrations of the wand create cavitation in your soft tissue, which helps to break down scar tissue and increase the rate at which your body can regenerate itself after an injury. The acoustic waves also help your lymph fluid pass through the tissue better, which transports white blood cells to the damaged areas to fight infection and encourage healing.
When performed correctly, therapeutic ultrasound has no known side effects and is safe for most people. However, you should let your physical therapist know about any pre-existing health issues before beginning treatment. If you have any discomfort during the session, be sure to tell your therapist right away.
The results of therapeutic ultrasound can take some time to become apparent, as your body is still in the process of healing and repairing itself. You should see improvements in your pain and/or injury over a course of a series of sessions.
Exercises
Whether you’re recovering from surgery, an injury or suffering from chronic pain or illness, physical therapy is an effective and holistic approach to healing. From strengthening to improving range of motion, therapists will design specific exercises and techniques for your needs.
Improving Poor Movement Patterns
Many people with pain have patterns of movement they use over and over that cause the problem. A physical therapist can help you learn how to move properly, eliminating the pain and preventing further injury down the road.
Limiting Scar Tissue Buildup
It is very common after an injury to develop scar tissue in the affected area. This can cause tightness and make it hard to move freely. Physical therapists know how to break up scar tissue with techniques like manual therapy and stretching, improving your ability to move without pain.
Coordinating Balance and Coordination
If you’ve suffered a brain injury or stroke, PT can help you recover coordination and balance. These exercises are typically done on parallel bars with a therapist standing right behind you to provide support. They involve repeated movements, often involving multiple joints and muscles, such as shifting weight between your left and right legs in a swaying motion.
When you go to a physical therapist, they’ll ask you about your pain level throughout the session as well as during treatment. They will adjust the intensity and exercises based on your comfort, and they’ll encourage you to keep open communication about your pain. While slight discomfort is a normal part of the recovery process, sharp pain or pain that worsens with exercise is a bad sign and should be reported immediately to your therapist.
Education and Empowerment
Physical therapists are experts at providing patients with information about injury recovery, prevention and lifestyle changes. They can teach you how to perform certain exercises correctly, and they’ll help you learn to monitor your health so that you can prevent future injuries from occurring. They’ll also explain how different activities and lifestyle habits can increase or decrease your risk of certain types of injuries, helping you avoid them in the future.