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Physical therapy employs a variety of techniques to assist patients in relieving pain and regaining function. Injury, illness, and post-surgical rehabilitation are just a few examples of issues that can impair one’s normal function and can be addressed and treated through physical therapy.
While everyone's needs are unique, therapeutic exercise is one of the most frequently recommended methods when developing a treatment plan. This well-researched and evidence-based treatment method incorporates customized strengthening, stretching, and mobility exercise for each patient.
What Is Therapeutic Exercise?
Therapeutic exercises include restoring and maintaining resilience, resistance, flexibility, stability, and balance in a wide variety of physical activities. The goal is to restore function and to live pain-free.
The treatment is mainly aimed at reducing body discomfort, pain, and swelling. Once this program is done, it focuses on movement recovery, muscle strength, and endurance. Exercises which may include:
● Balancing
● Strengthening
● Range of motion
● Resilience
● and plyometric activities
Therapeutic exercises aim to restore mobility, enhance function and strength, improve gait, and balance, and prevent and promote health, wellness, and fitness. Specific workouts are designed to restore strength, power, work and endurance. Therapeutic exercises are also used for increasing range of motion, reducing discomfort, improving equilibrium, and restoring function.
The Importance of Therapy
Therapeutic exercise in people suffering from osteoarthritis for example, can decrease pain and increase muscle strength, balance, and flexibility. For those who have knee osteoarthritis, resistance and resistance training can help with pain and balance.
Goals of Rehab Exercises
● Decrease pain
● Enhance mobility or skill
● Prevent or recover from injuries caused by sports, work related injuries or car accidents
● Rehab after a stroke, injury, or operation
● Work to avoid a slip or fall
● Control a chronic condition such as diabetes, heart disease, or arthritis
● Get to know how to utilize supports such as a walker or cane
Is Physical Therapy Painful?
Physical therapy should not be painful, but because it involves injured, inflamed, or chronically painful body areas, the treatment procedure may cause mild discomfort. Additionally, the body may be sore following a deep tissue massage or stretching exercise. This is because mobilizing, strengthening, and stretching the affected area requires a combination of specific movements and physical manipulation, which results in post-session soreness.
Muscles or ligaments that have become weak and rigid over time require specialized exercises. Minor irritation may develop in the area as a result. However, the soreness should not be a source of discomfort. If an individual experiences excessive discomfort or creates severe pain following a session, this should be discussed with the physical therapist, who can adjust the treatment accordingly. Additionally, a therapist may use a hot-cold application following the procedure to aid in the reduction of soreness.
Another critical point to remember is that everyone is unique. As a result, individuals' pain thresholds vary significantly. This emphasizes the importance of communication, as intense pain during therapy may indicate a more serious underlying problem. Physical therapists are specially trained to recognize when a technique or exercise is causing undue discomfort and can quickly adjust the regimen to alleviate the pain.
Unity Spine and Health Rehab Therapy
Our Chiropractors can help treat joint pain, muscle ache, ligaments, and tendon along with nerve pain. Our treatments are comprehensive as we combine not only manual therapy to our treatment plan, but we heavily emphasize on home exercises and physical therapy whether it is stretching, strengthening, or even postural corrective exercise. Our goal is to help you moving forward and to live pain free.
At Unity Spine and Health, working with our team of highly trained professionals can get you started on the path to a more fulfilling life. If you're interested in learning more about the therapeutic benefits of exercise and physical therapy, contact us at 226-223-2437 or visit our website at unityspinehealth.ca for more details.