The healthcare industry encompasses a wide spectrum of specialties across diversified sectors, including preventive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative care. Did you know that physcal therapists can help you heal and recover from numerous health challenges?

Physical therapists specialize in helping those suffering from spine and/or joint pain, among other ailments.

A Physical Therapist’s Goal

Whether due to an injury, surgery, or adverse health condition, countless people experience varying degrees of back, neck, shoulder, hip, knee and/or ankle pain. To obtain the proper treatment, they require the expertise of health practitioners specializing in assisting them manage, and ultimately, recover from these ailments.

This is where a physical therapist comes in.

A physical therapist works to decrease pain and/or inflammation in affected areas and increase muscle mobility through targeted exercises and rehabilitative techniques.

Here is one example:

Let’s say you just underwent a knee replacement. While still in the hospital recovering, as well as post-discharge, a physical therapist will guide you through sessions designed to help speed up your recovery and restore you to optimal health. 

He or she will first assess your condition, taking into account how swollen your knee is, for example, and its current range of motion. This will help dictate your treatment regimen and recovery plan.

Each appointment features certain exercises to increase flexibility and improve strength. These can include extremely simple movements—so rudimentary, in fact, that your physical therapist will advise you to do them on your own time, in between appointments. Some may just involve slowly but steadily raising each leg while lying down, for example. While seemingly basic, however, these routines are effective, and even surprisingly difficult, especially when first beginning—which is why you should continue physical therapy for several months following surgery.

How Someone Becomes a Physical Therapist

Physical therapists must undergo specialized training and education and ultimately pass a state exam in order to earn their license. Each state has its own set of requirements to become a physical therapist. New Yorkers, for instance, must prove they have “a master's or higher degree in physical therapy” to be considered for the exam, as explained on the New York State Education Department’s official website.

At the Northport Wellness Center, we not only provide physical therapy services to our patients, but we have a spine and joint recovery program that combines the effectiveness of physical therapy with other services, such as chiropractic care, in order to create a customized healing plan for anyone experiencing spine and/or joint discomfort. Contact us today to start on your path to recovery!