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Many of us have had to deal with an injury that affected our mobility in our lifetime. It might have been a minor sprain that occurred from too much exercise or a strain on your shoulders caused by sleeping in the wrong position. Fortunately, many of these injuries healed quickly after maybe icing them a few times.
But what happens when your injury doesn’t get better even after resting, icing, compressing, or elevating it?
You’ll most probably visit a doctor, right?
The doctor may recommend physical therapy to help your injury heal quickly. If you’re wondering what exactly is physical therapy and whether your insurance will take care of billing for physical therapy, you are in the right place.
First, you’ll be glad to know most insurance plans cover physical therapy sessions that are medically necessary and provided by a physical therapist.
So, what is Physical Therapy
Barefoot Physiotherapy Brisbane explains that physical therapy or physiotherapy is an effective and non-invasive treatment option that uses movement, education, exercise and massage to treat treats mobility issues caused by injuries, disability, illnesses, old age, and other medical conditions. It’s effective in people of all ages. This treatment option utilizes special movements, exercises, and equipment to deal with physical pain and help you recover your mobility.
The benefits of physical therapy are numerous. In fact, many doctors prefer their patients with mobility issues to undergo physical therapy than invasive surgeries.
To shed light on how important physical therapy is to your recovery, here are five benefits of this treatment option.
1. Minimizes Pain
Chronic pain makes it difficult for you to enjoy your life to the fullest. The good thing is, physical therapy treatments such as soft tissue and joint mobilization exercises, electrical stimulation, taping, and ultrasound can help reduce chronic pain.
These physical therapy treatments will restore your joint and muscle functions, improve blood flow, and quicken the healing process. Frequent visits to a physical therapist can also prevent pain from ever recurring, enabling you to live a pain-free life.
2. Enhances Mobility
Whether your limited mobility is due to old age, injury, or a medical condition, physical therapy can help.
By using stretching and strengthening movements, a physical therapist will help you move, stand, and walk better. During the therapy sessions, the physical therapist will assess your condition and note skeletal or muscular weakness areas and come up with a movement regime that will strengthen these weak points.
If you’re in too much pain, the therapist may recommend using assistive tools to help you with movement as you recover. Examples of such devices include:
- Crutches
- Wheelchairs
- Walking cans
- Walking frames
3. Helps You Avoid Costly and Invasive Surgery
In some instances, surgery may be the only option to help you regain your mobility. But there are cases where your doctor may recommend physical therapy to surgery. If you’re at crossroads on which is the better option, you should go for physical therapy. Surgery is not only expensive, but it also takes longer to heal the surgical stitches.
Physical therapy allows injured tissues to heal, eliminates pain, and improves mobility, eliminating the need to go under the knife.
Even in instances where surgery is necessary, going for physical therapy sessions before the surgery can help you be in better shape when going to the theater. Physical therapy, when done post-surgery, can also help you recover quickly.
4. Helps In The Prevention and Recovery of Injuries
Some activities, such as sports or exercises, can increase your risk of suffering from injuries. A physical therapist can design a personalized exercise program to minimize your risk of suffering from an injury if you’re into physical sports. Even during recovery after an injury, a physical therapist will have a recovery plan in place to ensure you go back to the sport or any other physical activity that you love so much.
5. Helps You Recover From Some Medical Conditions
Some neurological conditions such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and spinal cord injuries may cause movement and functional impairments. If you’re suffering from any of these conditions, sessions at a physical therapist’s office may help you strengthen the weakened body parts. Such sessions may also help you improve your movement and balance.
Physical therapy can also improve your mobility abilities such that you’ll no longer be dependent on others to bathe or dress you.
Other medical conditions that can improve with physical therapy include:
- Cardiopulmonary diseases such as post-myocardial infarction, cystic fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Hand conditions such as trigger finger and carpal tunnel syndrome
- Women health issues like lymphedema and urinary incontinence
- Pediatric issues like cerebral palsy, developmental delays, and muscular dystrophy
- Sports-related injuries
- Diabetes and other vascular conditions
- Pulmonary problems such as heart and lung disease
- Arthritis, osteoporosis, joint replacement, and other age-related conditions
- Diabetic ulcers, burns, and wounds
In closing, physical therapy can help you regain your mobility capabilities after an injury or any other medical condition. It will also eliminate physical pain, help you avoid surgery, and quicken your recovery process. Under the guidance of a competent physical therapist, you’ll experience incredible results and be on your feet in no time.
