How Physical Therapy Can Help Heal Your Injury
Injuries are an unfortunate part of life, whether from a fall or you hurt yourself while playing sports. While some injuries are game-changers, others are just enough to make life difficult for a while.
There are many treatments that help you heal, but only one that helps you prevent injuries in the future as well. That treatment is called physical therapy.
Our team at Peninsula Orthopedic Associates has skilled experts in many types of orthopedic injuries. From muscle strains to tendon or ligament tears, our orthopedic surgeons assist you in your recovery through multiple approaches, such as physical therapy.
How does physical therapy work?
Unlike other forms of treatment, physical therapy uses several methods to not only decrease your pain, but also increase your body’s resistance to future injuries. Physical therapy is a diverse type of treatment that can be used for anything from a traumatic brain injury to a torn rotator cuff.
The goal of physical therapy is to help you improve your mobility and flexibility, while you recover from some type of injury. It also works on building your strength to prevent further issues down the road. With physical therapy, you improve the way your body functions overall.
To achieve remission from your injury, our physical therapists use a variety of tools to help your body recover. Some of the methods they use include:
- Muscle massage
- Ultrasound therapy
- Heat and ice therapy
- Electrostimulation
- Therapeutic exercise
- Stretching
If you’re normally physically active, our team may also use low-impact aerobic exercise to help you condition yourself to return to your previous level of activity.
Our therapists do an initial consultation at your first appointment, where they go over your injury and assess your abilities. This helps them to make a personalized treatment plan that specifically fits you and your injury.
Your physical therapist may choose to incorporate several of the above forms of treatment to help you strengthen your muscles and improve your flexibility to achieve a better, more efficient recovery.
What injuries are treated with physical therapy
While the scope of physical therapy goes far beyond orthopedic and spine injuries, those are the ailments we treat at Peninsula Orthopedic Associates. Physical therapy has the ability to not only help you heal, but also decrease your chances of suffering another one of these types of injuries:
- Torn meniscus
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Tendon or ligament strains
- Sprains
- Fractures
- Arthritis
- Bulging or herniated discs
But physical therapy is far from one-dimensional — meaning it’s just for recovering from an injury. In fact, it’s sometimes used in athletes to help prevent them from becoming hurt.
Physical therapy is also a tool that’s used by our doctors after you’ve undergone a surgical procedure. It helps you regain function and mobility in the area that was operated on, along with decreasing postoperative discomfort.
A quicker recovery through physical therapy
Physical therapy is an amazing noninvasive tool that our doctors use as often as possible. This is due to the fact that physical therapy encompasses your entire body, not just the area that you’ve injured.
Physical therapy also isn’t like normal treatments in that you can continue to build on your therapy sessions long after you’ve recovered. Our therapists provide you with exercises and stretches that you can do at home to continue conditioning your body to avoid injuries.
Often when you become injured, you don’t want to move or make it worse. However, although physical therapy may be uncomfortable at times, it’s giving your body the best opportunity to overcome your injury quicker than without any type of movement or therapy.
When you’re injured, physical therapy is an amazing tool to help you recover quickly. If you’re in need of this treatment, call one of our conveniently located offices today, or book an appointment online with one of our providers.