What is Physical Therapy?
Physical Therapy is a form of health care devoted to treating, healing, and preventing injuries and disabilities. The basic goals of physical therapy are to:
1. Relieve pain and discomfort
2. Regain movement and promote healing
3. Restore function to the injured body part
4. Rebuild confidence and motivate patients to work toward recovery
5. Help people adapt to any permanent physical changes

Therapeutic Exercise
We use several types of exercise to help:
· Fight chronic pain. Exercise can help you improve your well-being and self-esteem, feel more fit and enjoy a higher level of independence.
· Build strength. You would be instructed in exercises that would work the muscles against some form of resistance (weights, for example).
· Increase range of motion. We teach you specific exercises depending on which joints are giving you difficulty.
· Promote flexibility. By doing stretching exercises, you can help prevent or relieve muscle contractions or spasm.
· Improve of correct your posture. We'll instruct you in postural exercises to help decrease your pain that results from lower back, upper back, and neck problems.
· Increase you endurance. There exercises will help you work harder and longer at home or work-related tasks.
· With relaxation. You'll learn to release contracted muscles that can be painful.
· Improve you balance and coordination. We will teach you exercises to gain or regain motor function and basic muscle control.

Controlling your Pain, Instead of Your Pain Controlling You
Based on your individual needs, we may utilize one or more of these modalities in conjunction with therapeutic exercise.
· Electrical Stimulation. This type of modality used to relieve pain, re-educate muscles and decrease swelling and muscle spasms.
· Manual Therapy. Our staff uses manual therapy to relieve contracted muscles and restore range of motion and mobility.
· Traction. We use this mainly to manage you neck and lower back problems.
· Iontophoresis. A type of electrical stimulation used to administer a local anti-inflammatory. Similar to a cortisone shot, without a shot.
· Hydrotherapy. This is treatment with water, and could include whirlpools and contrast baths, to name a few.
· Cryotherapy. This uses cold and includes ice packs.
· Heat Therapy. This helps to relieve pain and promotes relaxation. Some examples include heat pads, hot packs, or paraffin wax treatments.

Lots of People Benefit from Physical Therapy…..
You may be on the list!
· People recovering from accident-related injuries (car, work, or personal)
· Athletes recovering from injury or trying to prevent an injury
· Employees returning to work after an injury
· Children with muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy
· People with arthritis who are looking for pain relief and increasing joint motion
· Amputees and others learning to use their artificial limbs (prostheses)
· Stroke patients and others who have suffered head injuries and paralysis
· Postoperative patients who are working on their muscle strength and coordination
· People with spinal cord injuries

Reference: Sarah Cline, D.P.T., Peter A. Towne Physical Therapy, Inc.