Physical Therapy Specialist

What is physical therapy?

Physical therapy is a whole-person treatment approach built on comprehensive fitness and wellness programs that consider all aspects of health.

It uses precise physical movement to help people with injuries, athletes in need of active recovery, and patients with chronic medical disorders that impair their ability to move or perform everyday functions. Neurologists rely on physical therapy to help treat a variety of injuries and disorders related to the brain, spine, and nerves.

A customized physical therapy program is designed to:

• Promote movement
• Reduce pain
• Restore function
• Prevent disability
• Prevent future injury

All physical therapy programs have two main goals. The first is to help restore or help maintain the highest possible level of function and independence. The second is to prevent loss of mobility before it takes place.

What is neurological physical therapy?

While traditional physical therapy addresses medical conditions or injuries that limit a person’s ability to move, neurological physical therapy focuses on patients who have a neurological disease, disorder, or injury. Physical therapy is commonly used to help patients affected by:

• Cerebral palsy
• Stroke
• ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis

Physical therapy is also used to help athletes, car accident victims, and other patients with neurological injuries, such as post-concussive syndrome or a spinal cord trauma.

Patients with neurological disorders often have poor balance, trouble walking, and vision problems. Many also experience some degree of paralysis along with a loss of functional independence. Physical therapy aims to improve these areas of dysfunction.   

What is therapeutic exercise?

Physical therapy requires active patient participation through therapeutic exercise. This type of exercise program, which emphasizes slow, careful progression and is closely monitored, can help patients:

• Restore physical strength
• Build endurance
• Improve flexibility, balance, and stability
• Limit the risk of injury

Initially, therapeutic exercise is used to reduce pain and inflammation. Then, focus shifts to restoring range of motion, rebuilding muscle strength, and developing endurance. Most therapeutic exercise programs include these components:

• Strengthening exercises, which emphasize resistance and repetition
• Endurance exercises, or aerobic activities that use large muscles
• Flexibility exercises, or stretches that gradually increase range of motion
• Balance and coordination exercises, which promote a stronger center of gravity