About Physical Therapy
Introduction to physical therapy
Physical therapy describes the process of assessing and treating a patient with physical limitations. The purpose of physical therapy is to treat and rehabilitate any person suffering from circumstances that limits their usual level of physical activity. The ideal result is to return the patient to their maximum physical activity and ability based on their entire wellbeing. Physical therapists treat people of all ages. The cornerstones of physical therapy are assessment, rehabilitation and education to prevent injuries, or further debilitation.
The physical therapy philosophy and principles are based on biomechanics (the effect of forces on the body) and kinesiology (the study of human movement) to promote health and wellness. Physical therapy treatment is wide and varied and combines specific and measured exercises and stretches, use of both hot and cold temperatures and electrical devices such as electro-magnetic waves and vibrations. Education is also a vital part of physical therapy. The penultimate goal of physical therapy is injury prevention. Physical therapists invest much time educating their patients on how to avoid injury.
The most common conditions that a physical therapist treats are musculoskeletal. This is the medical term for all things relating to the skeleton and supporting muscles ligaments and tendons. However, some physical therapists will specialise and become experts in treating cardiopulmonary and respiratory conditions. Musculoskeletal conditions will be short term, perhaps from a sporting injury, and will have a finite treatment plan. In other cases, the treatment plan may be ongoing as it relates to a long term or chromic condition such as arthritis.
Physical therapy has been prominent in the main stream health care system since the early 1900s and is considered as conventional medicine. In early times the focus was on massage and experts in physical therapy were referred to as masseurs. However the professional reputation began to be damaged and a “re-branding” exercise was required in the mid 1900’s when the term massage was used as a euphemism for activities in a brothel! The principles of physical therapy were critical during war times. Physical therapists played a major role in the rehabilitation of injured soldiers. They are credited with recognising that amputee soldiers required an ongoing treatment plan and support that extended well beyond the army hospital.
Nowadays physical therapy is widely accepted. Physical therapy is available in hospitals and in private practice. Increasingly physical therapy programmes are being incorporated into the workplace. Workplace injuries have a significant impact on company profits. For this reason employers have a vested interest in the wellness of employees. Physical therapy programmes are most common in industries with a high risk of physical industry, such as the petroleum industry, in particular the drilling and exploration divisions. In addition, in many of these high risk industries, insurance companies are demanding that a physical therapist be on staff. Of growing concern is the improper use of physical therapy services. Examples of improper use are hiring people that are not professionally trained physical therapists to provide treatment to employees.
The Many Benefits of Physical Therapy
Whether you are considering physical therapy as a career or a treatment option, it is important to know that the benefits of physical therapy are positively endless, or it can at least seem that way. It can be used for so many people and to treat a variety of diseases and ailments .It doesn't require a hospital stay or invasive surgery, yet it can cure some of the same problems that people resort to surgery to solve. Physical therapy may be the last step before surgery, and surgery is expensive; needless to say physical therapists play a pivotal role in the pain relief and rehabilitative processes and their role in society, although sometimes a silent one is extremely pivotal.
The main reason behind the mere existence of physical therapy is to reduce pain in the body and freedom of movement, or even ability to move in some cases. Depending on the type of physical therapy that is in play, pivotal muscles and joints in the body are strengthened and that is where the reduction in pain and restored mobility comes from.
While it doesn't do the trick for everyone, physical therapy is designed to be a last resort before more drastic measures are taken for the relief of pain and the other problems that it treats. Many times it works, but as it is with nay treatment physical therapy is not yet 100 percent effective.
Back pain can be difficult to deal with. Whether due to an injury, excessive strain, or just old age there are few types of pain out there that can quite compare. Physical therapists and medical professionals often work hand in hand to help relieve back pain or to help a patient recuperate from back surgery. Certain exercises and massages are used to restore mobility and give the patient back the use of their back and all of the vital muscles in that area.
Arthritis is a severe problem in many an American adult. Physical therapists are useful in the treatment of arthritis, as they can help the patient to perform exercises that are designed to reduce pain, stiffness, and swelling and help the patient maintain a better quality of life despite their disease. Therapists can also give patients tools to work with at home to help relieve their discomfort when it comes at the worst of times.
Physical massage therapy is a vital niche in the physical therapy department. This is nothing like the massages that your friends and loved ones give you; it is therapeutic massage designed to reduce pain and stress in overworked areas. It probably isn't the most pleasant massage a person could receive, but physical therapy massage certainly has proved useful.
There are so many benefits to physical therapy and it has proved useful for so many people with so many different types of pain and injuries. It is a much less costly alternative than some other medical procedures to say the least. It goes without saying that the future of physical therapy is very promising.
Is Physical Therapy covered by your Insurance?
Whether you are considering physical therapy as a career or a treatment option, it is important to know that the benefits of physical therapy are positively endless, or it can at least seem that way. It can be used for so many people and to treat a variety of diseases and ailments .It doesn't require a hospital stay or invasive surgery, yet it can cure some of the same problems that people resort to surgery to solve. Physical therapy may be the last step before surgery, and surgery is expensive; needless to say physical therapists play a pivotal role in the pain relief and rehabilitative processes and their role in society, although sometimes a silent one is extremely pivotal.