Wednesday, November 13, 2013

What are the various applications of physical therapy?

Physical therapy can be used to cure injuries of any part of the body. In addition, it also helps in training people for their occupational conditions, especially athletes and others with sports related professions.

In physical therapy, the subject’s body is trained for strength, agility and endurance. This may be a rehabilitation measure after an accident, injury or surgery. Physical therapy can also be used for training athletes and people with a physically demanding occupation.

The most common body parts that physical therapy addresses to are:

Hand: Hand injuries due to work, road accidents, sports, etc. can take place when a person is least prepared. It can also be as a result of a chronic issue. The pain can possibly be very acute and disable one from performing many important functions.

Foot and Ankle: This part of the body is very sensitive and can easily get hurt. Moreover, injuries related to feet and ankle, are not easy to recover from. The recovery phase is very gradual, as the joints take time to revert back to their original form and become as functional as before.

Shoulder: Shoulder dislocation and other shoulder related injuries are extremely serious. A shoulder that has dislocated once becomes prone to future dislocations. Sports injuries and road accidents commonly result in shoulder injuries.

Lower back: The muscles of our lower back function in almost everything we do. One can easily injure them while lifting heavy objects, in the gym, or sometimes as easily as getting out of the bed using a wrong technique. Bad posture and constant subjection of occupational work load can also cause back related injuries. Because, the back is greatly subjected to long term damage, lower injuries are common after a certain age.

Physical therapy services are not just limited to addressing injured body parts; they are also used in conjunction with orthopaedics as a post-surgical measure for a speedy recovery of the patients. While a surgery is necessary to fix broken bones and torn muscles, physical therapy comes in to make sure that muscle regain their strength and flexibility. The aim in this case is to restore the muscles back to their original state and retains all their functional abilities.

As conditional therapy, physical therapy can make an athletes’ body less prone to injuries and dislocations.

A qualified physical therapy doctor can be of a great help for anyone who who’s suffering from any physical injury or wants to improve the condition of any specific body part.

Find an experienced Physical therapy services practitioner who can address whatever physical issues you have. Prefer dedicated physical therapy facilities for a superior level of treatment. 

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Things to keep in mind before finding the right physical therapist in Maryland


Physical therapy is that discipline of rehabilitation therapy which needs to be incorporated in very specific way to get results.

To understand the main pre-requisites of an expert therapist that deals with the same, you must first have a brief understanding of how physical therapy works.

Your muscles have the ability of learning and adopting. Each muscle group is meant to carry out a set of specific functions. For this, it must move in a certain way that is in a specific direction. The number of connecting joints also adds to the proficiency of each body part.

But a natural disability, an injury or prolonged subjection to bad posture or minor mishaps like twisting, straining, etc. will cause the muscle group to not be able to carry out its functions properly.

For example, if you severely dislocate your shoulder, the Deltoid and Teres Minor muscles will likely, also get injured. You may or may not need surgical intervention, but either way you will not be able to use these muscles for a while.

The injury in addition to the inactiveness of the muscles will cause them to lose their strength, and natural motion to a certain extent.

In this case, or in a similar case where a certain body part like the legs, arms or back is affected due to an accident or other ailments, a qualified physical therapy practitioner can suggest exercises and measures, through the use of which, you can keep the muscles active and help them retain a major portion of their strength and sense of motion.

Bear the following two things in mind while looking for a physical therapist in Maryland or any other place:
  • The first and the most important thing is qualification. The practitioner should be an MD. This will be an indication of his familiarity with every aspect of physical therapy. In addition, different bodies respond in different ways to a certain exercise. An MD will know how to guide you through this. Also, in case of a severe injury, he’d know when your body is ready for a more strenuous exercise.
  • In the beginning, an exercise can be as simple as walking with the aid of a walker (leg injury) and at a later stage; strenuous muscle building exercise can also be incorporated.
  •  Secondly, he should be affiliated to an advanced facility. It helps if the facility deals exclusively in physical therapy. The machines used in such facilities are generally very advanced and rely only on the latest techniques and developments in the field. In addition, the staff should also be well-versed with the intricacies of physical therapy.

The most important pre-requisites of a good physical therapist in Maryland or elsewhere are his qualification and affiliation with an advanced facility. Bear these in mind before looking for the perfect practitioner of physical therapy.

Friday, November 8, 2013

What can a Physical Therapist in Md, do for you?


Physical therapy has a very important place in the medical field. It addresses issues related to the functioning of the muscles and bones, aiming to correct associated problems.
Loss of muscle strength, muscle movement, or muscle flexibility can be a result of sports injury, accident or in some cases, a birth defect.
While surgery might be necessary to address broken bones, torn muscles, and wounded tissues, physical therapy is equally important to support the recovery by regaining the lost strength and movement.
Not only can this helps in making the muscles functionally strong like they once were, but also assists in reducing the recovery period.
How do these exercises help target the problematic area?
By repeatedly addressing the wounded muscles through specific physical therapy exercises, they can become stronger, more flexible and as a result, function properly.
Each exercise is designed to address a specific body part in a particular way. The degree of each exercise can range from simple to complex.
A Physical Therapist in Md may also use special equipment to help you carry out these exercises. These can be props like medicinal balls, cross-cable machines, balance boards and other things.
In addition, if the patient’s condition is severe, he can incorporate the use of orthopedic tools for these exercises. For this, a patient can use crutches, walkers, cranes, orthopedic sticks etc.
Physical therapy for lower back, neck, shoulder, ankle and foot
These are very sensitive areas that are prone to injury.
Shoulder dislocation and slip disk (lower back) in particular are major injuries that can take years to recover. These areas become even more sensitive after sustaining injuries and subjecting to any kind of exercise can by challenging.
This is the reason why you need the assistance of a fully qualified physical therapy professional. Such an expert can assess the case and recommend exercises based on:
  • Patient’s age
  • Patient’s body type
  • Patient’s health status
  • Severity of the injury
If you are looking for a qualified Physical Therapist, you should prefer someone who is affiliated to a dedicated facility.