Some Physical Therapy Techniques for Patients
Armed with cutting edge equipment a huge background of knowledge, physical therapists can help diagnose and treat many common ailments and movement disorders, though their most useful tool for treatment may be their hands.
Here’s a quick list of the best therapy exercises given to patients to solve a wide range of issues.
The Use of Ice
The best use of ice is on injuries involving inflammation and swellings.Ice can be a major component of injury treatment. By constricting blood vessels after application, ice is an effective way to reduce and can even prevent inflammation immediately following an injury.
Cold therapy can also leave the joint more mobile and enhance manual therapy. Applying cold packs to inflamed areas has been shown to significantly reduce swelling in soft tissue injuries
The Use of Heat
The best use of heat, is when it’s used for injuries that involve muscular spasms and tightness.
Applying heat has been shown to decrease pain and increase mobility after some injuries, mainly those involving soft tissue like muscles, tendons, and ligaments. By making the tissue more pliable, the therapist can better stretch the affected area.
Incorporating exercise in your daily routine
This method usually begins after your treatment. As obvious as it sounds, exercise is a go-to strategy to treat and prevent pain. Not any old run of the mill exercises, but ones hand-picked and specially suited to your rehabilitation. By performing any these specific exercises, you can keep regain muscle mass and effectively deal with pain.
Functional Electrical Stimulation
The Functional Electrical Stimulation method of physiotherapy is for restoring muscular strength. Electrical stimulation, also referred to as ESTIM, is a common treatment option to restore muscular function following a traumatic injury. By applying a minor, but steady electrical stimulus, your therapist can cause contractions from muscles that may otherwise remain dormant. This leads to restoring proper movement and function sooner than relying on exercise alone. While ESTIM can’t restore movement in every case, research shows it can speed recovery following ACL and total knee replacement surgery over the course of a few weeks.
Traction
Traction is used in cases of Disc herniation.When we stand, our spine is consistently bearing our weight, thus trying to heal it from back pain difficulty. The traction method involves separating your vertebrae, thus allowing more space for nerves to move, as well as less compression on your disc cartilage. Some research shows that traction can be effective for reducing pain and enhancing quality of life in patients with a herniated lumbar disc. And since it doesn’t involve going under the knife, this can be an effective treatment option for those who can’t afford to have a long recovery.
If you plan on undertaking Physical Therapy in the future, here were a few methods that would be used on you. If it doesn’t sway you, feel free to visit your local physical therapist for a small chat about the same.
