4 FAQs about Physical Therapy

Physical rehabilitation can result from a variety of issues and is frequently used by more than 50 million people in some form every year. Over half of Americans have had physical therapy at some point during their lifetime, and nearly 80% of people who go through physical therapy report significant relief from pain and other issues.

If you’ve never had physical therapy done, there’s likely a variety of questions you have about what to expect and how to prepare. Let’s try to address some of your concerns by reviewing what people are most curious about before undergoing this form of treatment. 

Dr. Joseph Daniels and the experienced medical staff at Southwest Orthopedic Associates serve the residents of the Fort Worth, Texas area with a range of treatments for managing musculoskeletal issues, including various types of physical therapy.

Reasons for physical therapy

People get physical therapy (also called physiotherapy) to improve musculoskeletal function, where muscles, ligaments, and other tissues connect to your skeleton and help make movement possible, when those parts of the body become compromised. Several things can cause problems that require physical therapy, including:

• Sports injuries: impact injuries or damage from overexerting muscles and joints

• Joint pain: often happening in the neck, back, knees, hips, shoulders, and wrists

• Carpal tunnel syndrome: irritation or damage inside the carpal tunnel located in your wrists

• Concussions: impact from injuries that cause the head to bounce can lead to the brain moving around in your skull

• Sprains and strains: pulling or tearing of the ligaments or muscles in joints

• Chronic medical issues: illnesses like cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy

Falls, accidents, and other types of injuries can lead to multiple issues that need rehabilitation. Medical conditions can also lead to routine trips in for therapy.

Types of therapy available

Many forms of physical therapy can help improve joint function:

Orthopedic therapy

By far the most common type of therapy, mainly aimed at managing post-surgery treatments, sports injuries, back and neck pain, arthritis pain, fractures, and sprains.

Neurological therapy

This form of therapy helps you recover motor function and other nervous system disorders, used to help people deal with stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson’s disease.

Cardiopulmonary therapy

Useful in recovering pulmonary function to boost endurance, functional strength, and breathing, it helps with heart surgery recovery, cystic fibrosis, post-heart attack rehabilitation, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Age-related therapy

A range of treatments for infants, toddlers, teens with muscular, developmental, or neurological issues, as well as older people struggling with osteoporosis, arthritis, reducing fall risk, and recovering from joint replacement.

Questions most frequently asked about it

We deal with questions about our services all the time, and here are some popular examples:

1. Is physical therapy good for aches and pains?

It depends on how long your symptoms last and whether or not they worsen. Conservative treatments done at home are often fine for minor aches and pains, but when the pain reaches the point where it hinders use of a body part, contact us.

2. Is PT just stretching and exercise?

Those are certainly important parts of our therapies, but depending on your needs, a therapy session can also include manual treatments (massaging joints and tissue), heat and cold therapy, transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS), and strength training.

3. Is there a difference between physical and occupational therapy?

Both serve similar purposes, but PT is specific to the damaged part of the body, and occupational therapy is designed to improve your overall lifestyle to promote better health.

4. How long do I need to do this?

There’s no single answer to this question, as the extent and severity of your issues help to determine the timeline we work on to help you get better. For example, soft tissue damage can take up to six weeks, but fractures can take longer; this can vary depending on the part of the body or the severity of the damage.

Physical therapy can make a big difference in your everyday life by reducing pain and other symptoms to make it easier for you to get through the day. If you’re ready to see how PT can help you recover, make an appointment with Dr. Daniels and Southwest Orthopedic Associates today.