What are the Different Types of Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy supports functions, movements, and quality of life. The therapy focuses on the core objectives: easing or managing pain, improving mobility, improving strength.
A physical therapist creates a treatment plan for each patient, which combines: exercises, pain management treatment (massage, hydro therapy, etc.) rehabilitation, and practice with additional mobility items (walking with a cane, etc.)
Patients can also learn simple exercises to do at home. But at-home physical therapy doesn't replace in-office treatments. As physical therapy requires a specialist kit, it makes sense to receive patients in a dedicated center. It ensures access to facilities that would not be available at home.
Physical therapists can visit patients' homes, depending on their needs and health. But they tend to work in places such as hospitals, sports medicine centers, rehab centers, schools and colleges, nursing homes, etc.
Bear in mind that patients will receive different types of therapy, depending on their needs and age. Some patients even receive more than one type of therapy to help their conditions.
Pediatric Physical Therapy
Growing up can be painful for children. When the muscles or skeletal structure grows too fast, kids struggle to cope. Pediatric physical therapists help them develop new skills. They help children to build strength in their muscles and bones.
Orthopedic Physical Therapy
Orthopedic specialists focus on three main areas of treatment: recovering a lost skill, correcting posture and motions, learning to use new items (such as prosthetics, cane, etc.)
They can provide both occupational therapy and rehabilitative physical treatment. Patients receive orthopedic therapy because they need to recover muscle strength. Indeed, muscle damage, such as sports injuries, requires physical therapy. The therapy can also treat post-surgery muscle atrophy.
Vestibular Physical Therapy
Vestibular rehabilitation focuses on problems linked to the inner ear. Some of the most frequent conditions include vertigo and chronic dizziness. They affect the balance. The vestibular therapist helps develop muscle strength to sturdy the balance.
Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Physical Therapy
Patients with severe cardiovascular or pulmonary problems need to improve their heart muscle strength. Indeed, the condition puts them at risk of a heart attack. Building endurance in the key heart muscles can keep risks low.
They work with a heart specialist.
Neurological Physical Therapy
Neurological problems happen in the nervous system. A damaged nervous system will affect how the brain controls the body. What type of conditions do neurological therapists treat? They assist patients with: brain injuries, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, stroke, etc.
As neurological problems are chronic, physical therapy can't heal them. Therefore, the function of the therapy is different. It is designed to help the patient manage their disorders. It helps to improve the patient's quality of life.
Geriatric Physical Therapy
In old age, the muscles and skeletal structure can lose their strength. As they become weaker, patients are at risk of injuries. Geriatric therapy helps correct issues and reduce the risk of injuries. It is one of the most common types of physical therapy. Geriatric treatment is present in patient care facilities, such as nursing homes, as well as at home from providers like Serenityhomehealth.com. It focuses on posture and gaits to prevent injuries. The therapy teaches how to compensate for weak muscles.
Nursing homes often provide both geriatric and neurological treatments to their patients.
Physical therapy can transform the patients' experience of their health conditions, regardless of their age and health issues. If you want to provide physical therapy, you will need to graduate with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree first. This allows you to take the national exam. Doctors must also pass an additional state exam to get their licenses.
