What is Physical Therapy?

After writing my first two posts, I realized that I should have started with a post informing everyone what physical therapy entails. This post will go into detail about what exactly physical therapy is, types/locations of physical therapy, what a typical treatment session should look like, what can be treated, and how it can be treated with physical therapy.

According to the APTA “Physical Therapists (PTs) are movement experts who optimize quality of life through prescribed exercise, hands-on care, and patient education. Physical therapists teach patients how to prevent or manage their condition so that they will achieve long-term health benefits. PTs examine each individual and develop a plan, using treatment techniques to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability. In addition, PTs work with individuals to prevent the loss of mobility before it occurs by developing fitness- and wellness-oriented programs for healthier and more active lifestyles. State licensure is required in each state in which a physical therapist practices.” (Gardner, 2019)

There are several different settings that a Physical Therapist can work in.

• Outpatient facility

  • privately owned, franchises, and hospital owned

  • Can be attached to a hospital

• In-patient

  • Typically work out of a hospital seeing patients in the hospital itself

    • post-operative patients

    • cardiac patients, etc.

• Rehab facilities such as skilled nursing, extended care, and subacute facilities.

• Home health.

  • PT will come to your house to perform therapy

  • Typically occurs following a surgery and you are not able to travel to an outpatient facility.

• Schools

  • PT will come into the school and perform PT on students throughout their school day

• Hospices

• Industrial and workplace

• Fitness centers and sporting facilities

• Education

  • PTs can be professors/educators at the graduate/doctoral level

Even though PTs can work in many different settings, the objectives are still the same across the board. Educate patient, decrease pain, improve movement, improve functionality, and give the patient the means to achieve what they want to do.

Treatment sessions can look different depending on the injury and the treating therapist. There are a multitude of treatment options available. My treatment sessions are designed for each individual patient. Not one treatment session looks the same, but I can give you a general idea of what to expect. The first visit it will be the evaluation. This is where the PT collects their data, examines the patient, and makes their plan. During the evaluation, the PT will ask you questions, test your range of motion and strength, perform manual (using their hands) assessment of your bones and muscles. PT will observe your movements throughout the evaluation. Be sure you mention everything you are feeling to your PT, please don’t be embarrassed because it could be relevant. After the evaluation the PT will typically discuss with you their plan of care and frequency/duration. Return visits typically are a combination of manual therapy and strengthening/stretching exercises. I like to typically start my treatment sessions with hands on (manual therapy) therapy, in order to get the joints and muscles in the proper form before trying to strengthen or stabilize the affected area. I then follow my manual with corrective exercises. This allows the body to strengthen/stabilize in the new range. I am a big believer that every patient should get manual therapy throughout their plan of care. As the patient progresses and we reach the end of our plan of care, there will be less manual and more corrective exercises that the patient can continue to perform at home. My goal for my patients is to give them the tools they need to succeed at home after discharge.

Physical therapist can treat an array of diagnoses

• Post surgical

• Arthritis

• Neck, back, hip, shoulder, knee, ankle, wrist, hand, and foot pain

• TMJ

• Headaches

• Vertigo/dizziness

• Post concussion

• Incontinence (urinary or bowel leakage)

• Pregnancy

• Strokes, brain injury, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis

• Work related injuries

• Sports and recreational injuries

• Burns

• Pediatrics

• Cardiac, pulmonary

• Lymphedema

• Wound care

• Cancer

• Balance

Types of Treatments

• Manual therapy

  • Joint mobilizations, soft tissue mobilization, trigger point release

• Therapeutic exercises

• Dry Needling

  • Similar to acupuncture except PTs find trigger points (knots) in your tissue and target that

  • Small needle is placed into trigger point to release tension

• Traction

  • Manual or mechanical

  • Cervical and lumbar

• Gait training

• Neuromuscular reeducation

• Lymphatic massage

• Compression stocking for lymphedema

• Orthotics

• McKenzie Method (more on this later)

• Cupping

• Tool assisted soft tissue mobilization

• Modalities

  • ultrasound, electrical stimulation, hot/cold packs, compression boots, laser cold/hot

• Aquatic Therapy

• Workmen’s compensation/work conditioning

• Biofeedback

• Taping

Resources:

Gardner, K. (2019, May 24). Who Are Physical Therapists? Retrieved May 2, 2020, from https://www.apta.org/aboutpts/

Disclaimer: I am in no way diagnosing anyone, if you have persistent pain you need to call your local physical therapist and schedule an appointment.