Physical Therapy Improves Mobility

Physical therapy involves specially trained physicians whose expertise is movement of the human body. Those who specialize in this type of therapy often work with an array of people, from the very young who may suffer from physical handicaps to the very old who may suffer from crippling arthritis, and even caregivers and other health professionals.

The goal of physical therapy is to treat bodily conditions brought on by physical stress, such as back pain or torn muscles that are often associated with sports or work injuries. These injuries are always muscular, meaning that physical therapists do not work with those who have broken bones or other injuries that require bed rest in order to heal properly.

Muscles are different and can be stretched and worked very gently in order to achieve physical healing. The therapist puts the patient through a battery of physical exams, usually a general evaluation of the injury that is first assessed by the doctor and includes asking the patient questions. Afterwards, the patient is then asked to perform simple physical task to demonstrate the level of physical therapy needed.

If the physician declares that the patient is indeed in need of therapy, the process of restoring the injured party's movement is begun. The physician carefully selects a program that will be gentle yet effective in healing their patient's ailments. The goal of this specific therapy is to restore full movement and mobility to the client as well as assisting them in living a productive and pain free life.

This means that the patient will be directed towards several activity's that are intended to strengthen their body as a whole, as well as well as mend their injury. Such types of activities include manual therapy, where a physician's assistant helps the patient with light yet deliberate exercises that are intended to build muscle while simultaneously healing the part of the body that is wounded.

There is also manipulation, which can also be called massage therapy, and while it does little to rehabilitate the body, it does temporarily relieve stress and pain that is associated with torn or fatigued muscles. If manipulation is combined with manual therapy, the results are usually outstanding and the patient is only required to attend therapy for a short amount of time, usually between one and several years, as opposed to living in pain from an injury that was never allowed to heal properly.

Those who believe they are in need of physical therapy should consult their doctor as soon as possible, as the side effects never treating mobility injuries can be extremely harsh. In some cases, people have decreased mobility whereas others have the reoccurring pain that is associated with a muscle that was torn and never healed. Even in these cases, therapy may be a wise choice, as it will prevent some future physical pain and discomfort brought about by the original injury. Fortunately, it is very uncommon for such injuries to go untreated today, thanks to modern medicine.