What exactly is Physical Therapy? And 3 things that it’s not…

You’ve probably come across the phrase “physical therapy” at one point in time. Whether when injured, visiting your doctor, or in a poorly worded advertisement written in strong medical terms. You may have even experienced varying degrees of it at different places from the hospital, a nursing home, or outpatient clinic.

Let’s once and for all define what exactly physical therapy is and perhaps what it is NOT.

Physical therapy at Actify PT is:

1. Something that helps improve your everyday life

Physical therapy can take many different forms. Sometimes it involves exercise. Other times it involves hands on treatments that improve your ability to move better, further, and with less pain. It teaches people how to walk again after a stroke. It can improve the strength of muscles that weren’t working properly and causing pain somewhere completely different in the body. PT can get rid of headaches, help you run on the weekends pain free, educate you on what to do and not to do to get better from injury, decrease your debility from low back pain, improve your shoulder motion and pain to play golf with your friends, and help you get a good night’s sleep so you can enjoy the next day.

The truth is, to say physical therapy is just “exercise” is a gross understatement that hurts everybody. If that has been your experience, allow us to apologize for the profession. In 2018, your physical therapist is a doctor with extensive training in anatomy, physiology, physics, neurological disorders, disease processes, and any and all injuries to muscles, joints, bones, and tendons. Seriously, we can help you.

2. Something that helps you fully recover from surgery

Physical therapy is vital in helping you to recover from surgery fully, quickly, and with maximal function. In fact, some studies show that physical therapy provides the same or improved outcomes as surgery with full adherence to the plan of care. We have even had clients who were looking at surgery as the only option get back onto the playing field without having to go under the knife. Even at times when surgery can’t be avoided, physical therapy is usually a must to get optimal outcomes.

3. Individualized

Your treatment plan is specific to your needs, your condition, your diagnosis, and your goals. Never at Actify PT will you be put into a plan that is “one size fits all”. This means one-on-one attention and care from your physical therapist. Don’t expect to be “hooked up to a machine and left in a room with an exercise band”.

What physical therapy at Actify PT is NOT:

1. Painful

We’ve all heard the bad jokes: PT? Physical Torture? and “no pain no gain”. I am here to tell you that physical therapy does NOT have to be painful. The whole point is to re-educate the nervous system to better move and function without the alarm of threat or disorder. There is nothing therapeutic about pain. My job is to help you get out of it, not cause you to have more of it.

2. Personal Training

No knock on trainers (we know some excellent ones) but the professions are separate and distinct. As Doctors of PT, we specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of movement and strength disorders involving the neurological, musculoskeletal, and cardiopulmonary systems (big words that equate to the working systems of the body). We identify impairment, target it, and correct it.

3. Boring

Prior to your first appointment, prepare to be highly educated on why you’re in pain, what we can do to fix it, and how long it’s going to take. We at Actify take great pride in making our patients independent in managing their pain. We are of no service to you if you are depending on us at all times to keep you pain free.

Physical therapy can mean different things to different people. Our primary focus of providing physical therapy treatment is to help you move and feel better without having to rely on pain medications and surgery.

If you’re ready to live your best life now and get back to doing the things you know and love, give us a call, (561) 366-2435, or schedule a free discovery visit.

#physicaltherapy #ActifyPT