Each year, about 70 million Americans suffer non-fatal injuries. More than 140,000 die from injuries, making the infection the leading cause of premature death across the country. Physical injury is also the main reason for losing a career in the future, before cancer and heart disease.
The statistics surrounding the injury are really heartbreaking. But there is always something you can do to prevent the injury from permanently affecting your quality of life. Getting high-quality physical therapy (PT), for example, can prove effective in helping you recover from your injury.
But what exactly is a natural remedy? How exactly does it benefit the patient? How do you choose the best physical therapy provider for you?
These are just some of the issues will discuss in this comprehensive guide
What is physical therapy?
Physical therapy refers to treating an injury, deformity, or disease using physical methods rather than medication or surgery. These physical methods include heat therapy, massage, balance training, and aerobic exercise.
Physical therapy aims to help people with physical injuries and other medical problems that cause pain and limit their mobility, thus limiting their ability to function well in their daily lives.
There are many injuries that may require physical treatment, including:
- Musculoskeletal system weakness such as back pain, cuff tear, and osteoporosis
- Sports injuries including hamstring strains, concussions and anterior cruciate ligament tears
- Carpal tunnel syndrome due to repetitive wrist and hand movements that aggravate the tendons
- Injury caused by an acute injury after a car accident
The importance of physical therapy
Why do health experts recommend physical therapy for people who have been injured? The simple answer is that the physical therapy works. Here are top seven reasons to see a physical therapist.
1. PT helps manage pain
There are few cases that are more frustrating than chronic pain. Effective physical therapy techniques and remedial exercises are found in:
- muscle function recovery
- moving joints
- reduce aches
- Pain relief
If you continue to perform the therapeutic exercise your therapist recommends, you can prevent the pain from returning.
2. It can help you avoid surgery
In some cases, surgery is inevitable. However, in many other cases, you don’t have to go under the knife to heal.
Physical therapy for an acute injury can help relieve pain, aid recovery, and improve your physical health. This treatment helps heal the affected tissue and facilitates full movement on its own. In cases where you have already had surgery, physical therapy can help you recover faster.
3. Physical therapy can prevent injuries
PT usually involves evaluating the patient’s areas of weakness and formulating a physical therapy plan to help strengthen the weaknesses.
After identifying the areas of skeletal and muscular weakness in your body, your physical therapist will analyze the possibility that you have sustained an injury. They will then develop an exercise regimen aimed at strengthening any weak joints and muscle joints, thus avoiding future injuries to these areas.
4. BT promotes mobility and balance
Depending on the severity of the injury or the extent of the surgery, it may be difficult for you to get back on your feet. Injury and surgery can limit movement, making simple tasks like eating, writing, walking, or even balancing the body a huge challenge.
During such cases, physical therapy can be helpful. There are many therapeutic exercises that restore movement and make walking safer. These exercises also improve balance and the coordination, reducing the risk of falls when moving.
5. Physiotherapy helps avoid dependence on pain medication
Once you are injured and have undergone surgery, you may experience long-term pain issues that need to be dealt with. Some people choose pain relievers such as opioids to control this chronic pain. Unfortunately, these medications can have side effects, and the cost of purchasing these medications can increase.
The safest and most cost-effective treatment for pain is physical therapy.
6. Physiotherapy can help treat general health problems
An added benefit of physical therapy is that it can help with and manage other health problems. These problems include joint pain, osteoporosis, and arthritis. Unlike joint replacement surgery, physical therapy is much less painful.
PT has also been shown to be effective for other health conditions such as the heart and lung disease. The treatment is also useful for people who have had a stroke. The treatment helps strengthen the parts of the body that have lost movement as a result of a stroke.