If you have been injured in the workplace, have a chronic health condition that impacts daily function, or are recovering from surgery, you may benefit from the services of a licensed and experienced physical therapist. While often thought of as simply movement experts, physical therapists also focus on strength, coordination, and the highest level of independence possible.
Let’s learn more about physical therapy and where you can go for outstanding physical therapy in Fairless Hills.
What Does Physical Therapy Involve
Physical therapy involves a highly individualized treatment plan based on a patient’s diagnosis, input from the primary care physician or specialist, and the therapist’s in-office evaluation of the individual’s strength, endurance, balance, coordination, flexibility, range of motion, and more. This detailed and frequently updated assessment is called the FCE, or Functional Capacity Examination. It is an important tool in determining health status and ability to work (or return to work) and perform the ordinary tasks of daily living.
PT treatment usually involves a fully adjustable exercise plan and treatments, such as cold and heat therapy, massage, weight and gait training, stretching, exercises, electrical stimulation, and more. Patient education and feedback determine the success of any recovery and rehabilitation plan.
Who Needs Physical Therapy
People of all ages and walks of life sometimes need and greatly benefit from physical therapy. Orthopedic physical therapy focuses on injuries and disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Cardiovascular PT optimizes heart and lung function compromised by a heart attack, stroke, or chronic disease like COPD.
Other kinds of PT alleviate lymphedema or excess fluid accumulation. Balance and coordination, muscle tone, and sensation are the purviews of neurological therapies, while some therapists treat the effects of aging (osteoporosis, weakened pelvic floor muscles, and dementia as examples).
What Are the Benefits of Physical Therapy
One of the biggest benefits of physical therapy is the follow-up care people receive after a severe musculoskeletal injury, cardiovascular event, or development of a chronic condition, such as arthritis. Therapy controls pain with less medication, helps people use assistive devices successfully, increases circulation, and speeds the healing of incisions and wounds.
However, perhaps the greatest benefit is a sense of independence and participation in recovery. Communication between patient and therapist is key, as are the at-home exercises and therapies the individual must perform between in-clinic therapy sessions.
Physical Therapy in Fairless Hills, PA
At Patient Care Now Urgent Care, our providers deliver a long list of medical services, including evaluation and treatment of mild to moderate musculoskeletal injuries. If you need evaluation by an orthopedic specialist and/or physical therapist, we will refer you to the professional in the area who will serve your unique rehabilitation needs best.
To learn more about our orthopedic services, call us today at (267) 202-6430. And, as always, for your urgent care needs, just walk into our facility, and you’ll be triaged, assessed, and treated promptly. We are open every day of the year to serve you and your family.
