Physical Therapy
Physical therapy helps the patient restore the use of muscles, bones, and the nervous system through the use of heat, cold, gentle massage, therapeutic Ultrasound, Laser therapy, Interferential Current therapy, therapeutic exercise, manual therapy techniques and other techniques. It seeks to relieve pain, improve strength and mobility, and train the patient to perform important everyday tasks. Physical therapy may be prescribed to rehabilitate a patient with arthritis, low back pain, post surgery (knee replacement, hip replacement), cervical and lumbar dysfunction, neurological problems, orthopedic injuries, pulmonary disease, sports injuries, stroke, motor vehicle, work related injuries and other injuries/illnesses.
The duration of the physical therapy program varies depending on the injury/illness being treated and the patient's response to therapy. Exercise is the most widely used and best known type of physical therapy. Heat treatment, applied with heating pad, high frequency electrical current, ultrasound, paraffin wax, or warm baths, is used to stimulate the patient's circulation, relax muscles, and relieve pain. Cold treatment is applied with ice packs or cold-water soaking. Massage aids circulation, helps the patient relax, relieves pain and muscle spasms, and reduces swelling. Very low strength electrical currents applied through the skin stimulate muscles and make them contract, helping paralyzed or weakened muscles respond again.
The duration of the physical therapy program varies depending on the injury/illness being treated and the patient's response to therapy. Exercise is the most widely used and best known type of physical therapy. Heat treatment, applied with heating pad, high frequency electrical current, ultrasound, paraffin wax, or warm baths, is used to stimulate the patient's circulation, relax muscles, and relieve pain. Cold treatment is applied with ice packs or cold-water soaking. Massage aids circulation, helps the patient relax, relieves pain and muscle spasms, and reduces swelling. Very low strength electrical currents applied through the skin stimulate muscles and make them contract, helping paralyzed or weakened muscles respond again.