What does physical therapy entail?
It’s an important question, and the answer will help you understand how physical therapy can improve your ability to move and function, while also benefiting your general fitness and health.
Rehabilitation includes a variety of common PT techniques and treatments that are specifically designed to address injuries sustained by the structures of the musculoskeletal system: bones, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and cartilage.
Common PT Techniques
- Hot/Cold packs can prepare muscles for exercise and manipulation or reduce inflammation to make movement less painful
- Electrical stimulation activates nerves in damaged tissues to help develop strength and stability
- Ultrasound generates sound waves that are transferred to a specific part of the body using a probe. The sound waves travel deep into tissue creating gentle heat
- Medical massage is an outcome-based massage that applies specific treatments targeted to physical therapy to help muscles function
- Strength and stability exercises are used to help the body reestablish the proper function of the musculoskeletal tissues
- Stretching tight muscles and joints can help relieve pain and get patients back to their previous range of motion
Other than these common techniques, physical therapists are also experts in “the science of healing and the art of caring.“