If you are currently experiencing any injuries, disorders, or other chronic health conditions, you understand how hard it is to recover from it. That’s why the physical therapist is there to help you recover from your injuries, regain your motion, do preventative measures, and improve your overall quality of life through physical therapy. The therapies they administer can be either standalone or accompanied by other support treatments. However, there seems to be a common misunderstanding about the jobs of physical therapists. Some people consider physical therapists as nothing but a more expensive massage therapists. While, to a certain extent, they can do massages, but they are much more capable than that.
In short, physical therapists do physical therapy to help their patients—that’s their job description. Sounds easy enough, but correctly practicing physical therapy is a very complex task. You need years of study and apply for a license to become a physical therapist.
Physical Therapy?
When you experience a physical movement impairment due to illnesses, disorders, or injuries, it is difficult to do basic tasks. It can become frustrating that even the simplest of movements are complex. The constant feeling of helplessness isn’t good for your mental well-being either. To get you up to speed or live a much more comfortable life, you might need physical therapy. Physical therapy is a health care specialty that aims to manage pain and help yourself function better—thus improving your overall quality of life. Your doctor will recommend you to a therapist if you have an impairment that hampers doing daily tasks, but you can also consider getting one yourself on your own.
Physical therapy helps relieve pain, prevent disability, improve movement or ability, rehab after a stroke, adapt to prosthetics, and learn to use assistive devices like walkers or canes. All of these skillsets can only be accomplished through the assistance of physical therapists. No matter your age, physical therapy is beneficial for you, and it can help address a whole host of health problems.
What Is A Physical Therapist?
Physical therapists provide physical therapies, and they are more than just the common misconception of an expensive massage therapist. Physical therapists are licensed professionals, and their licenses are only applicable to the state in which they applied for a license. Not only do they need a license, physical therapists, or also known as PTs, need to be a graduate from an accredited higher education institution with a master or clinical doctorate degree. As recently as 2016, all to-be physical therapists need a master’s and a doctorate degree to practice physical therapy. But for those already practicing physical therapy, there’s no need for them to get a doctorate degree; a master’s degree is still applicable for them.
From what you can see from their qualifications, you will immediately notice that it’s not easy to become a physical therapist. You don’t need to go to such lengths to become a massage therapist. To ensure credibility, check their reviews and licenses. Physical therapists will evaluate your conditions and develop a personalized plan for you. They will teach you some exercises to recover and improve movement or perform hands-on treatments, whichever suits your need for your specific situation. You will most likely come across physical therapists when the doctors recommend them to you. Since it was a referral from a doctor, consider checking your insurance policy and see if they will cover it or not.
Note that physical therapies are not a replacement to your doctor, but rather, they are a supplement. With the help of physical therapists, you can go back to full function or see an improvement in quality of life. Your recovery time will be much faster with the assistance of physical therapies.
What Does A Physical Therapist Do?
Physical therapists can do a lot of different therapies, but how do they do it? Each patient has a unique situation, and their broad specialties help them adapt to their circumstances. First, they need to identify what your needs are. Most likely, you will be explaining your condition to the therapist just like how the doctor explained yours to you. But they will also ask other questions and perform other examinations to make sure. They’ll ask you about your sleeping schedule, where the pain resides, other symptoms, medical history, and your ability to do tasks. The objective of these questions is to determine a diagnosis of your condition. They will also check your bodily movements, heart rate, posture, balance, and how well you walk.
After identifying the diagnoses, they can begin creating a treatment plan. They will consult with you to ensure that you are comfortable with their plan. The plan will include goals to improve your function, exercises, treatments, and other practices until you feel better and improved. Expect some exercises, hands-on therapeutical techniques, and other equipment to ease the patient’s pain, improve mobility, and prevent more injuries. Throughout the sessions, they will keep an eye on your progress, and they can modify the plan when necessary or try out new treatments.
Results
The therapy results can differ a lot; some people may require more or fewer sessions, everyone is different. A lot of it will depend on your needs. They will educate you and estimate how much and how quick your improvement will be. However, these estimates are not a guarantee, and your body might react differently to treatments. Although they are not precise, they are still good predictions.
Working Conditions
Practicing physical therapy will vary a lot from patient to patient. A patient who needs physical therapy after a stroke will need a different therapy than someone who has injuries due to a car accident. Some physical therapists practice a specific niche, such as neurological, orthopedic, or geriatrics. But most you see around are physical therapists who encourage fitness and wellness programs for a healthier and active lifestyle. The job of a physical therapist is a very active one. They frequently interact with their patients physically, teaching them proper body mechanics and other principles. So they need to be careful to avoid injuring themselves.
Where Do You Get A Physical Therapist?
If you are looking for a physical therapist, reach out to Nova Home Health Care. They practice rigorous training and background check to ensure that they have the best of the best physical therapists, providing you the most effective therapy possible.
