Physical Therapy – What Is It & Why Do You Need It?

What is Physical Therapy?

Physical Therapy (PT):

• • Treats the muscular-skeletal and nervous system of your body
  • Includes an evaluation & assessment
  • Helps individuals with limitations in mobility so people can move from one place to another and participate in the activities of daily living.
  • Is provided by professionally licensed physical therapists who have a master’s degree or a clinical doctorate degree from an accredited institution.

The goal of PT is to help patients:

• • Actively engage in their own healthcare and recovery
  • Ease pain
  • Regain mobility
  • Become as active as possible
  • Get back to doing the things they love without pain or difficulty
  • Avoid costly surgeries and unnecessary pain medications or injections.

Successful PT includes:

• • Patient progress
  • A personalized treatment plan
  • Promotion of lifestyle changes that will “take hold” and improve the patient’s life for the better.

Why is Physical Therapy for Older Adults Important for a Successful Recovery?

Physical therapy is important for successful recovery because it improves your strength, flexibility, mobility and reduces pain.

PT for older adults is extremely beneficial for a variety of reasons:

• Reduce the risk of a fall:  One of the most common reasons older adults need PT is to recover from a fall — falls are the leading cause of accidents, bone fractures, and other injuries.  PT can also teach seniors techniques to prevent falls and injury.
• Lowering the risk of injury:  PT helps older adults learn how to maintain stability when they’re mobile and helps reduce the risk of injuries and re-injury.
• Decrease pain from chronic conditions:   PT can help alleviate discomfort from conditions like arthritis or osteoporosis and offset any future symptoms.
• Lessen the need for prescription drugs:  Older adults are often on a wide variety of prescription drugs to help manage chronic pain.  A PT regimen can help reduce the need for medications and could be a more cost-effective treatment.
• Maintain an independent lifestyle. The more quickly older adults recover from an illness or injury and begin to manage their pain, leads to a more active, independent lifestyle over a longer period of time.
  

  Physical Therapy – what is it and why do you need it? it helps your body heal and reduces pain

When Do You Need Physical Therapy (PT)?

If you have experienced:

• • Chronic pain
  • Spinal injury
  • Stroke
  • Foot/ankle issues
  • Concussion
  • Arthritis
  • Amputation
  • Shoulder or knee pain.
  • Cerebral Palsy, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis
  • Or, need help with fall prevention

What Can You  Expect From Treatment?

• • PT exercise helps improve function, mobility, motion, strength, and decreases pain and stiffness.
  • Heat, ice, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation can also help the healing process.
  • Patient education about your condition or illness is critical
  • Clear communication and trust — these are vital to help you through the worst times, and help create confidence in yourself & your body, so you can heal.

Where Can You Get Physical Therapy On Maui?

• • Hospitals, Nursing homes
  • Outpatient clinics
  • Sports teams & Gyms
  • Cardiac rehab centers
  • Schools
  • In-home

Physical Therapy what is it and why do you need it? it helps your body heal and reduces pain