Sun City Physical Therapist
Physical therapy is a well-known part of health care. But many people think it’s only used for injured athletes or as part of a treatment plan for chronically ill patients. If you don’t know much about physical therapy, it might be confusing if your doctor or another care provider recommends that you see a physical therapist to achieve your health goals. When you know exactly what a physical therapist is and how they can help, you’ll know why they can be valuable to any patient’s recovery process.
What is a Physical Therapist?
A physical therapist is a health care professional who works with the patient’s musculoskeletal system to achieve health goals. Specifically, physical therapists are used when a patient needs to improve strength and/or mobility due to a medical cause. Most often, the physical therapist assesses the patient and develops a treatment plan to help the patient achieve his or her health goals. The patient meets with the physical therapist regularly to use movements and exercises that help the patient improve strength and/or mobility. The physical therapist may also give the patient movements and exercises to do independently. These movements and exercises supplement the treatment plan developed by the physical therapist and help the patient achieve success.
What do Physical Therapists Help with?
A patient may be referred to a physical therapist for a number of reasons. Some of these reasons include:
- Post-surgical recovery and healing
- Post-injury recovery and healing
- Chronic illness management and symptom relief
- Condition/disorder treatment and symptom relief
- Improved mobility due to aging
Regardless of the reasons a patient is referred to a physical therapist, the professional will work closely with the patient to improve strength and mobility. The type of help provided by the physical therapist varies based on the reason the patient was referred. For example, a post-injury athlete may find that a physical therapist focuses primarily on regaining strength. However, a post-surgical patient may find that the physical therapist focuses primarily on improving mobility as part of the recovery process. This is why the assessment is an important part of the process. Through the assessment, the physical therapist gains an understanding of what needs to be done to help the patient.
A physical therapist also helps patients by answering questions they may have about their recovery and the physical therapy process. Recovery can be a challenging time for a patient. Having the information needed for a successful recovery can make a big difference. In addition, when patients know about their recovery process, they are more likely to work hard with the physical therapist to achieve their health goals.
