Physical Therapy Wayland

What is Physical Therapy and How Does It Work?

Physical therapy (PT) is a skilled intervention intended to help restore function, improve movement, or relieve pain. Physical therapy can be requested by individuals who seek care for themselves. Physical therapy can also be recommended by a physician, coach, chiropractor or personal trainer. Physical therapy at the Longfellow Holistic Health Center for the Wayland community can work on its own to help you achieve your functional goals or part of a team approach with other clinicians/coaches to get you back to living and performing better.

What Does a Physical Therapist Do?

Physical therapists perform a thorough musculoskeletal physical evaluation. The physical therapist then uses the objective findings compiled from the evaluation, any diagnostic tests provided, the goals of the patient and/or his or her treatment team to determine a care plan. The treatment plan may include exercise, education, hands-on care and a variety of therapeutic modalities.

Your first session in physical therapy

Your PT will review your needs and conduct an assessment at your first therapy session. They’ll ask you questions regarding your symptoms, pain, mobility, sleep quality, and medical history. The goal is to make a diagnosis and determine the causes of the condition.

After this, we will create a collaborative treatment strategy with you. This plan will contain your personal goals for functioning and feeling better as well as exercises or other physical therapy treatment options to help you reach these goals.

It might take you less or more time than others to achieve those goals in physical therapy.  You might have more sessions or fewer than others, everyone is different. It all depends on you. The exercises your therapist gives you can be done at home. This will help keep you on track as you continue to get better.

Types of Physical Therapy

Manual Therapy

Manual physical therapist is a highly specialized form physical therapy that is done with hands, not machines or devices. Manual therapy allows practitioners to use their hands to manipulate and press on the muscles to relieve back spasms and tension.

Manual therapy can help with certain musculoskeletal conditions. This limitation can cause discomfort, painful, and a change in function, posture or movement. Manual physical therapies involve restoring mobility in stiff joints and decreasing muscle tension. The goal is to help the patient move more naturally, with less pain.

Manual physical therapy might provide back relief for patients who have chronic back pain that is related to joint problems as well as acute back discomfort from soft tissue injuries such a strain of the back muscle or a pulled ligament. Although no clinical studies have been conducted on every aspect of manual therapy, some clinical data and patient reviews support the belief that manual physical therapists can help relieve back pain for certain patients.

Dynamic Stabilization Training

Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization in Physical Therapy (DNS), is a modality that allows for assessment and treatment of specific conditions. DNS stimulates the central nervous system to retrain a neurophysiological aspect. This allows spinal and extremity ligament stabilization. It can also lead to better movement patterns, as well the restoration of damaged areas. DNS uses physical therapies models to activate stabilization muculature. These models start with proper mechanics for the diaphragms, pelvic floor, and “core muscle” and then expand to the legs.

Therapeutic Modalities

Physical Therapists commonly use a variety of therapeutic modalities in conjunction with hands-on care to help patients achieve their goals. These may include ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation, interferential treatment, iontophoresis, cold laser, hot/cold packs, kinesiotaping, McConnell taping, assessment and application of orthotic or bracing.

Work Conditioning

Some of our patients are referred for a job-related injury and are referred by Workmens’ Compensation. Others need rehabilitation to ease them back to a safe return to work after surgery or injury. The physical therapist works with the patient/employee, the employer or human resources department to carefully assess the physical demands of the job. Use of careful body mechanics training, work conditioning and ergonomic assessment /modifications are utilized to ensure that a patient is physically prepared to return to their work environment safely.

Ergonomic Training

Did you realize that items you use in your daily life at work and home can be made more comfortable? This is Ergonomics. Ergonomics refers to the improvement of movement and function during daily life. Ergonomics uses certain body mechanic strategies or tools to increase efficiency and safety. They also identify and change factors that could cause injury. Longfellow Holistic Health Center offers ergonomics as a way to reduce pain and avoid injuries.

Body Mechanics Training

Proper technique matters when performing tasks such lifting, vacuuming/sweeping, dish washing, reaching for items, and other chores. Poor technique can cause neck pain, low back pain, or shoulder pain. You might have heard the expression “Lift with you legs, not on your back”? Do you understand what it means? How do we lift with our legs properly? Some exercises or stretching may be required to strengthen certain muscles groups to make it easier.

Neuromuscular Re-education

Neuromuscular re-education focuses upon improving the strength, timing coordination, force production, and coordination of muscles injured by injury.

Active Release

Weak tissue injuries are more common that most people realize. The most vulnerable to injury are those who are active, such as athletes or people who play sports. Active release technique (ART), an alternative to surgery and medication, is a successful treatment for soft-tissue traumas.