Physical Therapist Gary City, Indiana

The Goal of Physical Therapy?

The goal of physical therapy is to get a person back to the point where he or she can perform normal, everyday activities without difficulty. Preserving good range of motion is key to maintain the ability to perform daily activities. Therefore, increasing the range of motion of a joint is the primary focus of physical therapy. Building strength in the involved muscles surrounding the joint also is extremely important, since stronger muscles can better stabilize a weakened joint. Physical therapists provide exercises designed to preserve the strength and use of your joints. They can show you the best way to move from one position to another and can also teach you how to use walking aids such as crutches, a walker or a cane, if necessary.

The Benefits Of Physical

A Physical Therapist must be knowledgeable about the bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments and the specific mechanical arrangements which generate movement as well as the organization and structure of the control systems, i.e., the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system. In addition, they need to be able to recognize and identify medical conditions that can affect movement abilities and human physiological responses to such conditions as well as the normal responses to mechanical injury of the body. The education required of a PT involves a large amount of time spent on musculoskeletal anatomy with cadaver dissection and separate course work on the anatomy and structure of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system. A great amount of course work also focuses on the medical conditions that can have an impact upon movement abilities, as well as training in techniques for identifying and treating specific dysfunctions.

How does Physical Therapist give those benefits?

Physical therapist assistants perform a variety of tasks. Components of treatment procedures performed by these workers, under the direction and supervision of physical therapists, involve exercises, massages, electrical stimulation, paraffin baths, hot and cold packs, traction, and ultrasound. Physical therapist aides help make therapy sessions productive, under the direct supervision of a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant.

 What Are Some Benefits of Physical Therapy Programs?

There are many benefits to participating in a physical and occupational therapy program, including: You gain education about your type of arthritis, so that you can be well informed. If you are overweight, a dietary plan can be created to reduce the stress of excess weight on supporting joints of the back, legs and feet. (As yet, no specific diet -- other than a diet designed for weight loss -- has proved helpful for arthritis.) You gain foot-care advice, including choice of well-fitting shoes with shock-absorbing outer soles and sculptured (orthotic) insoles molded exactly to the contour of each foot. You will learn therapeutic methods to relieve discomfort and improve performance through various physical techniques and activity modifications.