Physical Therapy

What is Physical Therapy?

According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA):
“Physical therapy is the practice of diagnosing, treating, and managing conditions via services provided by or under the direction of a physical therapist.”

Physical therapy (also known as physiotherapy) is a branch of healthcare and treatment for pain management St Louis MO that comprises the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of physical impairments, disabilities, and pain. The main goals of physical therapy are to help individuals restore function, enhance mobility, and reduce pain through a range of non-invasive modalities, including targeted exercises, manual therapy, and many others. It helps to promote physical wellness, fitness, and overall health across the lifespan, such that it helps to also decrease the risk of preventable health conditions and adverse events.

Physical therapy can take place in outpatient clinics, hospitals, rehab centers, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, schools, sports and fitness settings, and occupational settings.

Physical therapy can be considered a conservative treatment measure for many conditions, such as pain management St Louis MO, helping to delay and/or avoid surgery and injections. Another advantage is to decrease use of and reliance on opioid drugs for various pain conditions. Additionally, physical therapy helps to decrease the length of stay in the hospital, as well as decrease hospital readmissions. It can also be used as an ancillary treatment measure for the postoperative period, and as prevention of complications and/or recurrence past the immediate healing phase. Physical therapy is not simply something you do for a few weeks after an injury or surgery. Working with a physical therapist is truly a quintessential part of the strategy to obtain long lasting results and prevention of recurrence of pain.

 

What is a Physical Therapist?

A physical therapist is a licensed healthcare professional who has graduated from a professional, accredited education program. They have completed four years of intense education, clinical rotations, and experience to become experts in conditions that impact movement and function. Many take care of individuals across their lifespan, however there are some physical therapists that are specialized further in geriatric care, sports medicine, or pediatrics. After each patient is assessed with a detailed history and physical exam, a unique and integrated plan of care is created for them, in collaboration with the individual’s goal-directed outcomes.

What conditions are treated by a physical therapist?

Below is a list of conditions that are commonly treated by a physical therapist. There can be many more conditions in which a physical therapist can help, so be sure to ask what your therapist can do for your pain management St Louis MO.

Head

  • Headaches
  • Concussions
  • Vestibular dysfunction
  • Vertigo

Shoulder

  • Frozen shoulder
  • Rotator cuff tear
  • Dislocated shoulder
  • Shoulder separation
  • Shoulder fracture

Spine Conditions

  • Cervical spine/neck conditions
  • Chronic back pain
  • Sciatica

Hip Conditions

  • Hip fracture
  • Hip labral tear

Joint Replacement

  • Hip replacement
  • Knee replacement
  • Shoulder replacement

Knee Conditions

  • ACL injuries
  • Knee injuries
  • Knee ligament injuries
  • Knee meniscus tear
  • Patellofemoral syndrome
  • Arthritis

Foot and Ankle Injuries

  • Foot fracture
  • Foot pain
  • Ankle ligament tears
  • Ankle sprains
  • Plantar fasciitis

Sports Injuries

  • Bursitis
  • Running injuries
  • Stress fractures
  • Overuse and repetitive motion injuries
  • Tendonitis
  • Shin splints

Women’s Health

  • Osteopenia and osteoporosis
  • Pelvic floor dysfunction

Others

  • Chronic Fatigue syndrome
  • Long COVID syndrome

 

What are some treatment modalities that a physical therapist uses?

Using clinical expertise, evidence based medicine, and modern technology, an individualized therapy plan is created by your physical therapist for your injury or pain management St Louis MO. This plan may include (but not limited to) the following therapies:

Aerobic exercises

Aerobic exercises are frequently recommended in physical therapy. They include walking, swimming, and cycling. They can improve mobility, prevent cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, and achieve normal function post-injury, post-surgery or any pain management St Louis MO issue. There are two types of exercises: passive and active exercise. Passive exercise is a form of exercise in which the physical therapist applies stress to the patient (such as a controlled stretch). Active exercises are patient controlled, whereby the patient performs the exercises using his or her own strength.

Cardiopulmonary Therapy

Cardiovascular (heart) and pulmonary (lung) physical therapy helps individuals improve breathing and lung capacity by training their body to have more effective breathing and exercising under monitored conditions. With improved cardiopulmonary function, their body becomes more efficient at using oxygen, decreasing shortness of breath and improving quality of life.

Dry Needling Therapy

This is a technique also known as intramuscular stimulation. It focuses on using needles on trigger points for pain relief. It helps to alleviate muscle tightness and spasms, improving overall recovery times.

Hot and Cold Therapy

Heat therapy helps to improve circulation and relax muscles to encourage muscle healing. Cold therapy helps to decrease inflammation.

Laser Therapy

Laser therapy is a unique way to reduce inflammation and stimulate healing. It uses specific wavelengths of light depending on the body location being treated. It is a newer FDA-approved therapy.

Manual Therapy

Manual therapy is a direct, hands on approach to help with a patient’s injury or pain management St Louis MO. It helps decrease muscle tension, decrease pain, and improve muscle circulation.

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy

Pelvic floor exercises are a specialized form of therapy to aid in pelvic floor dysfunction, which can cause pelvic pain, pain with sexual intercourse, as well as urinary incontinence. It involves strengthening exercises for the pelvic floor muscles, as well as targeted techniques to relax certain pelvic muscles that may contribute to pain.

Stabilization and Balance Exercises (Vestibular therapy)

Balance training is important for recovery from concussions, core strength, increasing muscle strength, and helps avoid future falls. Stabilization exercises help with a variety of injuries. It helps with joints, knee or ankle/foot pain, and core stabilization for the spine.

Therapeutic Ultrasound Therapy

This is a specific modality which uses deep heating treatment for sprains, strains, or tendonitis.

What do I need to do before starting therapy?

  • Find a physical therapist that is experienced in your condition or injury.
  • Obtain a physician referral – a referral is often needed before a physical therapist can start a treatment plan with you. This can be obtained through your primary care doctor’s office or surgeon’s office.
  • Fill out new patient paperwork (link).
  • Get ready to meet with your physical therapist to work and invest in improving your quality of life!