What comes to mind when you think of physical therapy? If you’re like most people, the odds are good that in your imagination, it looks something like this: an elderly person doing specific exercises to recover from knee-replacement surgery or a pro athlete working with his team’s medical staff after a nasty injury. According to a report, an estimated 1.5 billion people worldwide suffer from chronic pain (CP), with prevalence increasing with age. At Clearway Pain Solutions, our team of experienced physical therapists can help individuals return to their prior level of functioning and encourage lifestyle changes that prevent injury from occurring again. In this article, we’ll highlight 9 benefits of physical therapy that will help improve the quality of life.

What is Physical Therapy?

Physical therapy is the clinical specialty of medicine focused on restoring, maintaining, and improving physical function. According to an American Physical Therapy Association report, the average physical therapy clinic or rehabilitation center sees between 101 and 200 patients weekly. While there are many treatment options across all functional domains of the body (e.g., musculoskeletal, neurological), most physical therapy is used for musculoskeletal conditions. At Clearway Pain Solutions, our team of experts help relieve pain, restore physical function and empower patients to renew themselves so they can enjoy the lives they want and deserve.

What Conditions do Physical Therapists Treat?

Physical therapists treat conditions related to the musculoskeletal system, which is the body’s primary support system. This includes disorders of bone, joints, muscles, and other soft tissues. Experts work with many conditions that involve injuries or medical problems affecting the head, neck, or spine. Others are related to repeated motion and poor posture in everyday activities such as lifting objects or typing on a computer keyboard at work. The team at Clearway Pain Solution is skilled at evaluating and treating various musculoskeletal conditions. We specialize in working with patients’ muscles, nerves, bones, skin, blood vessels, and more to help improve their condition.

Who Should See a Physical Therapist?

Anyone with chronic, long-term pain or discomfort of any kind should see a physical therapist to assess, treat, and restore their body’s function.

9 Benefits of Physical Therapy

PT will help you recover from pain and return to a fitness routine. Physical therapists at Clearway Path Solutions are trained to work with people with different types of injuries, illnesses, and surgeries. Here are 9 of the most common benefits of PT mentioned below:

1. Pain Management: Clinicians recommend PT for patients who suffer from chronic pain or injuries in affected areas of weakness and stiffness, which may contribute to the patient’s discomfort. Physical therapy provides treatment designed to relieve all symptoms.
2. Post-surgery rehabilitation: Physical therapy can help your body regain movement after surgery. It may also speed up recovery time in many cases if you’re stronger and more fit before undergoing surgery.
3. Improve Balance: Physical therapy is one way to help improve balance and prevent falls in older adults as  aging individuals are at a higher risk for falling. 
4. Improve Mobility: Physical therapy can help regain mobility and flexibility. Strengthening and stretching exercises are used in physical therapy. Physical therapists can also assess whether a patient needs an assistive device, such as a cane or crutches. 
5. Recover from Stroke: It is normal for a person who has had a stroke to lose some degree of function in the affected body part (whether it’s mobility or muscle control). Physical therapy helps people regain balance and coordination.
6. Age-related Issues: As people age, they can develop arthritis or osteoporosis, which causes painful joint injuries. Physical therapists treat arthritic and osteoporotic symptoms by helping patients heal conservatively (instead of removing damaged joints).
7. Recovery from sports injury: Physical therapists understand the unique risks and benefits of multiple sports, allowing them to develop exercise programs to help you stay healthy.
8. Manage Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Exercise will help regulate blood sugar effectively as part of an overall strategy for diabetes management—and it’s also essential to address sensations like numbness or tingling in the feet and legs.
9. Improve Heart Function: Physical therapy can increase the quality of life for people recovering from a heart attack or COPD by helping them regain strength, conditioning, and breathing skills.

What to Expect at a Physical Therapy Session?

At your first visit, you will be examined by a physical therapist and asked questions about your health. You may be suggested to order lab tests or X-rays to learn more about the nature of your problem and its underlying cause. At each visit, talk with your physical therapist about any pain you are experiencing—including the pain level (mild, moderate or severe), what activities cause it and when they occur (e.g., while resting or sleeping). Options for PT includes:

• Stretching exercises
• Range-of-motion exercises
• Improve coordination and balance exercises
• Mobilization
• Electrical stimulation 

Why Choose Clearway Pain Solutions for Physical Therapy?

Physical therapists at Clearway Pain Solutions are not only experts in treating pain but also in finding the source of the pain. These professionals will look for areas of weakness or stiffness that could add stress to the area that hurts. At Clearway Physical Therapy, we can help you return to your normal activities by maximizing your movement and participation in recovery. We also want to help you avoid opioids and surgery, if possible. Contact us today!