Physical Therapy Specialist

What is physical therapy?

Physical therapy aims to restore functional mobility through personalized evaluations, assessments, and treatments. It is typically needed after an injury, illness, or impairment. 

Why would I need physical therapy?

Among the many conditions and injuries that physical therapy can improve are:

• Sports injuries
• Obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Back pain
• Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ)
• Shoulder pain
• Knee pain
• Urinary incontinence
• Arthritis
• Stroke
• Fractures and bone breaks
• Spinal cord injury
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Amputation

Physical therapists are often called movement specialists because they’re experts in restoring movement and mobility to their patients. With the right treatment plan, physical therapy reduces pain, improves balance and flexibility, and even helps you avoid surgery in the future.

What can I expect from physical therapy?

Once you undergo a full physical examination and receive a diagnosis, the Americare Medical Center designs your individualized physical therapy plan. Some therapy techniques that the team uses include:

Heat and ice therapy

Heat naturally increases circulation to damaged tissues to improve mobility, while ice decreases pain and inflammation. 

Massage

Regular tissue massages decrease muscle tension and improve circulation to your injured tissues and tight muscles.

Kinesiology taping

Kinesiology tape (KT tape) is a highly flexible type of medical fabric that reduces muscle pain, inflammation, and bruising, so you can move without pain.

Traction

Traction therapy helps relieve pressure from slipped discs, sciatica, pinched nerves, and more. It’s commonly used to treat chronic back pain.

Electrical stimulation

There are many different forms of electrical stimulation that decrease pain and restore muscle function. Transcutaneous electrical neuromuscular stimulation (TENS) machines use low-voltage electric currents that block the pain receptors that send pain signals to the spinal cord and brain.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) sends small electrical impulses to your nerves that retrain your muscles to contract. This helps you regain strength and range of motion in your joints.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound therapy is a deep-heating treatment that penetrates soft tissues to relieve pain. It works best for osteoarthritis, bursitis, chronic pain caused by scar tissue, sprains, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Americare Medical Center offers plenty of pain treatments and physical therapy techniques to help you regain control of your muscles and joints, so you can live your life free of pain. To learn more, call or book an appointment online today.