Physical therapy is not only imperative in the healing process after having major surgery, but it can also be a highly effective treatment to address various health conditions and injuries. Plus, it can help you to prevent the need for surgery in the future.
Let’s talk about some of the major ways in which physical therapy can help improve your health, and where you can go in Watertown for top-notch physical therapy to help you stay strong and healthy.
Physical Therapy to Treat Musculoskeletal Conditions
The primary role of physical therapy is to treat injuries and illnesses that cause disability. Physical therapy can be implemented to address a variety of conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system, which includes the bones, joints, muscles, and related structures. It can help to relieve pain and alleviate symptoms associated with an orthopedic condition.
Treatment can include many noninvasive rehabilitation techniques, including:
- Heat/cold therapy
- Manual (hands-on) therapy
- Massage
- Myofascial release
- Neuromuscular re-education
- Joint mobilization
- Sport-specific training and conditioning
- Therapeutic ultrasound
- Traction
- Bracing/taping
- Natural Relief from Chronic Pain
If you have a health condition that causes chronic pain, such as arthritis, cancer, or fibromyalgia, physical therapy can help you to control your symptoms more effectively and preferably without medication. Certain conditions can cause a loss of function and movement due to the pain, but physical therapy can help to strengthen and mobilize specific areas of the body while also reducing the level of pain associated with the condition.
Physical therapy works by helping to strengthen the muscles surrounding a joint, and this takes pressure off of the joint itself. Physical therapy can also be beneficial in improving heart and lung conditions by focusing on core-strengthening and breathing exercises.
Physical Therapy to Improve Fitness
Physical therapy is not always reactive, but is oftentimes proactive – such as when a physical therapist is charged with training athletes and helping them to prevent injury. Your therapist can show you how to get stronger, become more flexible, and alleviate pain naturally.
Therapy to Speed Up Recovery After Surgery
Physical therapy is an integral part of the post-operative rehabilitation process after having major surgery, including orthopedic (musculoskeletal) surgery. Because sports medicine is largely an orthopedic field, and sports medicine includes treating concussions (which are not musculoskeletal), physical therapy can also involve re-teaching the body and nerves how to work properly again. Your therapist will show you how to perform exercises and stretches to help you get back to feeling like your pre-surgery or pre-injury self.
Physical Therapy in Watertown, NY
If you have an orthopedic condition or injury causing pain, or if you would like to find out more about how physical therapy can improve your health and get you stronger, schedule an appointment with the medical team at North Country Orthopaedic Group. Our licensed physical therapists can provide you with a thorough evaluation and a customized treatment plan to effectively address your needs.
At North Country Orthopaedic Group, our multispecialty team can diagnose and treat a full spectrum of conditions and injuries – and we can help you to get strong and stay strong. Call us today at (315) 782-1650 or fill out our online appointment request form. We look forward to serving you!
