Physical therapy isn’t just for the injured or the elderly. Physical therapy can be used to treat chronic issues that can cause wear on your body over time, or even be used to prevent injuries down the road. Physical therapists care for people of any age and work with your doctors to help improve mobility or healing in areas that need it. They treat a variety of ailments, from physical injuries to helping prevent the onset of chronic health condition side effects. Whether its improving or regaining flexibility, increasing strength after an injury or surgery or helping you manage a chronic health condition like fibromyalgia, physical therapists can help you improve. Check out these five ways you know physical therapy is right for you:
1. You Have Limiting Pain
If you have pain or discomfort that limits your daily activities significantly, getting physical therapy might be right for you. Feeling pain when doing normal activities, like lifting your arm to put on a shirt, bending down to tie your shoes, or fastening your bra are all examples of limiting pain. If you are suffering from these symptoms, it might be beneficial to see a physical therapist, because they can help evaluate and find the issue early, and prevent it from becoming a chronic problem in the future.
2. Problems with Balance or Mobility
If your doctor has determined you have issues with balance or mobility, physical therapy is a great option to try and retain your balance and mobility for as long as possible. Physical therapists can create unique programs designed for you that can help you compensate for imbalance, and improve your mobility as well. By consistent physical therapy treatment, you could be back to feeling like your old self in no time!
3. Your Doctor Recommended It
This may seem obvious, but often visiting a physical therapist is left to a patient’s discretion, even if a doctor recommends it. While being told to go to physical therapy may feel the same as a dentist telling you to floss, physical therapy can mean the difference between being nearly immobile down the line or having full range of movement. Physical therapy can be recommended by doctors to help relieve pain, improve movement, prevent future injuries, and more, and is thus extremely important to your well-being if recommended.
4. You Just Had Surgery
Physical therapy is critical to many post-surgery roads to recovery. Physical therapy teaches you specific exercises to help strengthen parts of the body that may have been weakened from the surgery or your hospital stay.
5. You Have a Chronic Illness
Chronic illnesses like diabetes, muscular dystrophy, fibromyalgia, and carpal tunnel syndrome all can result in loss of mobility and an increase in pain from daily routine movements in the future. Physical therapy helps prevent this loss as early as possible, while still helping to strengthen muscles around your problem areas to help support them. By going to a physical therapist, you are ensuring that you extend your quality of life for as long as possible.
Corpus Christi, TX 78411
(361) 853-6100