Common Myths About Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is an indispensable part of your treatment when recovering from orthopedic surgery, healing an injury, or trying to reduce pain and increase mobility caused by a chronic joint condition like arthritis. It is rarely just a “suggestion,” a “good idea,” or “something you should maybe consider.”
A well-designed and customized physical therapy program can make all the difference between a speedy recovery and an injury that lingers far longer than it needs to. But many myths about physical therapy – what it is, how it helps, and who provides it – still endure.
Here are three of the most common misconceptions about physical therapy that shouldn’t stand in the way of getting the life-changing benefits that it can provide.
1. Physical therapy is just stretching exercises and massages.
Hardly. While stretching exercises and massage are certainly part of many physical therapy programs, PT involves a whole host of treatments specifically tailored to the nature and extent of your specific injuries or conditions. A PT regimen usually consists of a series of activities, motions, and exercises designed to work in concert to provide maximum benefits.
Your sessions may involve any number of exercises and treatments that may include:
- Stabilization exercises
- Therapeutic treatments
- Conditioning exercises
- Manual therapy
- Massage therapy
- Musculoskeletal evaluations
- Electrical stimulation
- Cold laser therapy
- Ultrasound therapy
- Kinesio taping
- Graston therapy
- Active release therapy
- Neuromuscular therapy
In addition to your sessions with the physical therapist, which may happen two or three times a week for several weeks or months, you may receive “homework” after each visit that consists of exercises and conditioning plans that you should do at home between visits and may continue after you complete your treatment.
2. Physical therapy is only for injuries or post-surgical recovery.
Unquestionably, physical therapy is frequently involved in treating injuries and trauma and is an essential element of recovery after orthopedic surgery. But the benefits of PT extend to other common ailments like balance and vestibular issues, headaches, pelvic pain, chronic pain, and regular joint and muscle discomfort. Not only can physical therapy help you heal from injuries, but it can also help prevent them. Athletes often use PT in that way and to improve their performance.
3. It’s going to be painful, to an extent.
“No pain, no gain” may be a familiar exercise trope, but it doesn’t apply to physical therapy. That doesn’t mean your PT will be easy or effortless, but physical therapists are trained to work within each patient’s pain threshold to ensure their musculoskeletal gains are safe and incremental. A good physical therapist in Miami will know when to switch painful movements or exercises with less painful and more efficient alternatives that still improve performance.
OrthoMiami Provides Exceptional Physical Therapy Programs. Schedule a Consultation Today.
At OrthoMiami, Miami’s leading orthopedic surgeon, Cesar E. Ceballos, MD, helps customize a physical therapy rehabilitation plan of treatment based on your condition. Because you can see both your Miami orthopedic surgeon and your physical therapist under one roof at OrthoMiami, you get a signature treatment that’s above and beyond traditional rehab plans. You can go through physical therapy at OrthoMiami even if you’ve been treated elsewhere.
Call us at (305) 596-2828 or book a consultation online to get started.
