Physical therapy has gained remarkable popularity in the field of medical science in recent years. More and more people are diverting towards it to resolve their health issues and other troubles. However, when you hear the word, ‘physical therapy,’ the first thing that crosses the mind is a set of exercises. Usually, you must have watched your dear ones performing certain activities under the guidance of physical therapists. So, you develop the impression of being this treatment consisting of only exercises.
However, physical therapy is much more than merely a set of exercises. It consists of therapies, techniques, treatments, and training programs. Moreover, physical therapy helps in reducing pain, healing musculoskeletal & other injuries, and also in managing several health conditions in the most efficient manner.
According to the American Association Of Physical Therapy, “The physical therapy profession recognizes the use of evidence-based practice (EBP) as central to providing high-quality care and decreasing unwarranted variation in practice. EBP includes the integration of best available research, clinical expertise, and patient values and circumstances related to patient and client management, practice management, and health policy decision-making.”
Physical therapists exactly know your pain and condition. Therefore, they design a physical therapy treatment that suits your individual needs, along with treating your health troubles. Moreover, physical therapy helps you with injury recovery, prevention, ease from acute & chronic pain, and improve mobility.
If you feel that physical therapy involves only doing specific exercises, then let us explore more to this. Let us view the types of physical therapy and how it can benefit you to resolve your troubles.
1. Manual Therapy
Manual therapy involves giving treatment with the help of hands and is given directly to the body. Therefore, it is also known as hands-on therapy.
According to Kinetic Sports & Spine Physical Therapy, “The goal of manual therapy is to help you in several ways. You’ll enjoy improved range of motion, less pain, less inflammation, and more efficient healing after an injury or symptom flare.”
2. Massage Therapy
Massage therapy is a type of manual therapy. It includes providing massage to relieve the pain of joints and tissues. Physical therapists give gentle massage on the targeted tissues of your body to ease the relevant aches. As a result, it relaxes the stiffened muscles, increases blood circulation for better healing, and alleviates the pain.
3. Mobilization
Mobilization is a type of manual therapy that uses slow, controlled movements to twist, push or pull bones and joints to their original location. This therapy is effective in relieving the stiffened tissues around a joint. When they loosen up, the joint can return to the correct position, which increases its flexibility.
4. Manipulation
Another form of manual therapy is manipulation. It involves giving the treatment to a specific joint with the help of hands or a special tool. Physical therapists provide pressure to the targeted muscle in a gentle, rapid, forceful or gradual manner, depending upon the necessity. They aim at relieving the pain effectively.
5. Movement Therapy
It is a type of physical therapy that includes exercises that help increase strength, flexibility, and improves endurance & coordination. These exercises are different from those you do in your normal fitness routine. They are specifically designed to meet your body’s requirements. Also, there are stretching exercises, and others focus on building strength, which helps reduce the stress on a particular joint in the body.
Physical therapists offer a set of exercises to help you build the core that includes your back abdomen and hips. Also, they teach you how to perform these movements correctly so that you do not hurt yourself. If you have a goal of improving your fitness, then they may also suggest you incorporate some of them into your routine.
6. Education
Physical therapy also has an education element involved. Most of the times, we are not aware of doing things correctly with the help of our body. Therefore, we end up hurting ourselves while doing activities. Physical therapists teach you how to your work without damaging your body. They help you use specific assistive devices to make your tasks easier. For example, they can teach how to tie your shoes without leaning over, or how to walk with crutches without falling off. They also provide injury prevention programs to avoid reinjury or getting a new one.
7. Special Techniques & Therapies
There are various distinct physical therapies and techniques that physical therapists use to offer immense health benefits. Many people have issues with healing their injuries. In this case, a physical therapist will give electrical stimulation and cleaning treatments to accelerate the healing process. They also use heat and cold therapy to meet the specific needs of patients. For example, they apply heat to reduce the swelling, and cold therapy to relieve the stiffness of muscles. Other special techniques are the ultrasound, hydrotherapy, dry needling, cupping, and more.
8. Obtaining A Combination Of Different Therapies
When you consult a physical therapist, they will thoroughly examine your condition, injury or ache. Then, they will determine the cause, and design a treatment plan that consists of specific therapies, treatments, training programs, and techniques to meet your individual needs.
If you have undergone surgery or have an ache of an old injury, then visit a physical therapy clinic today. They will offer the most suitable and relevant rehabilitation plan to assist you on a daily basis. Most of the therapy centers have a team of highly certified and skilled physical therapists, occupational therapists, massage therapists, athletic trainers, and nutritionists to help patients achieve their desired goals.
Physical therapy is a vast field, which consists of numerous effective therapies and techniques to treat a broad spectrum of aches, injuries, and health conditions.
