An immediate injury is taken to a doctor. They can patch up wounds, set broken bones, and even conduct surgeries so that you are well on your way to a full recovery. Sometimes, however, that isn’t enough. Perhaps the damage was more minute than your doctor initially believed, or maybe you pushed yourself too hard when you were recovering.
That is where physical therapy comes into play.
What is Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy is the treatment of an injury caused by an accident, deformity, disease, or repetitive strain. It is particularly useful when dealing with an issue in your body that has caused you chronic pain. An old sports injury, left untreated, could result in years of constant pain, for example. A whiplash injury can result in recurring headaches.
Physical therapy helps your muscles heal using advanced medical treatments like EMS, hot-cold therapy, and ultrasound therapy. Most commonly, however, your ailments and chronic pain will be treated with massage therapy conducted by a physiotherapist or Miami chiropractor.
What are the Benefits of Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy is a great way to get your body to heal correctly, both immediately after an injury, and after you have recognized the chronic condition of your pain. The complete list of benefits you can expect when undergoing physical therapy include:
Improved Flexibility and Strength
The main goal of physical therapy is to improve your flexibility and strength. Combined with chiropractic care, this can help you regain full range of motion and eliminate the source of pain.
Reduction in Pain
There are two ways physical therapy can help reduce pain. One, by realigning your skeletal structure or helping the soft tissue heal correctly. The second is by improving your flexibility and strength, which will reduce the amount of exertion your body places on your injury.
Improved Healing
Physical therapy can also be great to improve both the quality and the rate of your healing.
Holistic Pain Management
Though pain killers can do wonders immediately after an injury, they should never be something you take up in the long-term. Opiate addiction often begins with prescription pain killers and can be very hard to quit if the pain itself doesn’t go away. That is why holistic pain management that doesn’t rely on medication is the best way to go forward.
What Do You Need to Remember When Getting Physical Therapy?
When you get physical therapy, you will want to remember a few key rules:
1. Listen to the Therapists Instructions
Your physical therapist and doctor know how your body needs to move during exercises and flexibility training. Listen to their instructions and make sure you are following their recommendations to a T.
2. Be As Honest as Possible
You will only get better if you are as honest as possible about how you feel and how you are recovering. Not every method will work, and you will only see a reduction in pain if you are honest about the pain in the first place.
Physical therapy is a great way to rehabilitate after an injury of any kind, especially if you experience chronic pain after you have healed. If you are experiencing chronic neck pain or back pain, you should consider doing physical therapy in Hollywood FL or Miami at one of our personal injury clinics. Our Miami and Hollywood accident clinics are highly experienced in providing physical therapy, massage therapy, and chiropractic care to those who suffer from neck and back pain.