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Health & Fitness

Stay Fit and Healthy During National Physical Therapy Month

By Nancy Morasso (Reger), MS, PT, Administrative Director of Rehabilitation Services at Somerset Medical Center and Physical Therapist


October is National Physical Therapy Month, created to highlight the importance that physical therapy plays in helping to improve mobility and pain in the lives of those who are physically injured.  In today’s health care system, physical therapists are the experts in the prevention of, as well as the examination and treatment of muscular-skeletal and neuromuscular problems that affect peoples’ abilities to move the way they want and function as well as they want in their daily lives.

 

  • A physical therapist provides services aimed at preventing the onset and/or slowing the progression of conditions resulting from injury, disease, and other causes. These services are for those of all ages who have functional conditions resulting from back and neck injuries, sprains/strains and fractures, arthritis, burns, amputations, stroke, multiple sclerosis, birth defects such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida, injuries related to work and sports, and others.
  • Physical therapy consists of rehabilitation services which target movement dysfunctions. This can be addressed through various therapeutic interventions including but not limited to exercise, range of motion, manual techniques, ultrasound, electrical modalities, neuromuscular retraining, functional retraining and taping.
  • The role of a physical therapist is to also help restore function to the lives of the injured or disabled by targeting the following areas: improving mobility for daily activities, providing an alternate to painful surgeries, and abolishing or lessening pain without the use of medication. Specifically, physical therapists enable us to be able to continue at our jobs, take care of our families, enjoy important occasions with family and friends and participate in school and sports.
Physical therapists are highly specialized in treating a variety of different injuries and conditions, including but not limited to those caused by accidents, falls, illness, sports, overuse injuries, strokes, balance disorders,  and arthritis. The following are just some of the specialized programs that hospitals and private practices may provide:
  • Lymphedema Services – Lymphedema is abnormal accumulation of protein-rich fluid due to an insufficient lymphatic system. This can arise from either congenital lymphatic dysplagia (primary lymphedema) or damage to the anatomical structures (secondary lymphedema).  Various physical therapy treatments, such as patient education on skin care and precautions, soft tissue mobilization, via manual lymphatic drainage, therapeutic exercises geared toward safe level of exercise and proper stretching and compression therapy, multilayer  bandages, which is a combination of foam and bandages to improve the lymph drainage, prevent  re-accumulation of evacuated lymph fluid and reshape the limb, and functional retraining  have proven to be effective in decreasing the side effects of Lymphedema. Physical therapy for Lymphedema allows for patients to experience increased strength and motion, decreased pain and swelling reduction of infection rick and an overall better quality of life.
  • Vestibular and Balance Program – Balance plays a crucial role in our ability to perform daily activities, such as walking, driving, climbing stairs and riding in an elevator. Balance impairments can increase the risk for falls, decrease confidence and disrupt one's lifestyle. The visual, sensory and vestibular systems (the motion sensors within the inner ear) work together to maintain balance. In a balance disorder, any one of these systems may not be functioning properly. The Vestibular system is mainly made up of three intricate systems in the ear: semicircular canals, otolithic organs and the cochlea.  These three systems help to define the way your sense of balance is created.  Vestibular disorders can be caused by medications, infections, inner ear problems or a traumatic brain injury. A physical therapist will create an individualized rehabilitation plan for the patient to complete both in therapy and at home.  By desensitizing the balance system, it allows for patients to reach their end goal, which is for the brain to become retrained to recognize signals allowing the patient to have a correct sense of balance and coordination.
  • Stroke Rehabilitation – A stroke or “Brain Attack” is a sudden neurological deficit caused when the blood flow to the brain is interrupted by either a blockage in an artery or a blood vessel erupts, which both interrupt the flow of blood to the brain. When either of these events happens, damage to the brain can occur. The primary goal of stroke rehabilitation is to help the patient regain maximum function in their involved extremities and trunk.  Because the brain controls multiple systems, victims of stroke may present with paralysis on one or more extremities, decrease coordination, sensory deficits, vision problems, balance dysfunction, memory and cognitive issues and difficulty walking to name a few.  Focused therapeutic exercise, sensory stimulation, movement reeducation, gait retraining and cognitive reeducation are all elements of a comprehensive  physical therapy program for those who need help in restoring their ability to functioning independently following a stroke.
  • Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Care – Orthopedic care is focused on rehabilitating areas which relate to the bones, joints, tendons and ligaments of the musculoskeletal system. Common areas that sports or orthopedic care focuses on are the shoulder, knee, hip, foot, ankle, neck and back or spine.
  • Whether dealing with a shoulder, hip or knee injury, the physical therapist will assess the mechanics and condition of the body segment or joints above and below the primary injury. This to determine the role those areas may play in either the initial injury or how to maximize the full recovery of the entire person.  Most areas of the body are interdependent. The body is a like a machine. Thus if you correlated it to a  door hinge; and if one part gets sticky another area will attempt to take up the slack until it breaks  down because it is forced to perform a motion or job it was never intended to do alone. One key element of any orthopedic program is to address the body’s core. People need to have a firm or competent foundation to work off of to prevent the system from breaking down.
  •  The physical therapist will look at multiple elements to develop the correct course of care for each individual.  Their goal is to help the patient return to comfortably to their daily routine and the athlete return safely to the game.
If any of the descriptions above sound or feel familiar, I urge you to contact your local hospital or to reach out to a physical therapist to receive care immediately.  Exercise and physical therapy go hand-in-hand in ensuring an injury-free, healthy and active lifestyle.

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