Physical Therapy
It’s easy to assume that your recovery journey from spine or joint treatment is over once you no longer feel any pain. That is, of course, a great indicator of just how far you’ve come on the path to healing. However, long-term success often relies on a series of actions you take to prevent further injury or re-injury.
That’s where physical therapy comes in. If you’ve just had a life-changing joint or spine treatment, physical therapy plays a pivotal role in your healing journey. Keep reading to find out how.
Restoring Your Strength and Stability
Depending on your daily activity levels, your healing tissues post-treatment can be under a great deal of stress. The more stressed they’re placed under, the longer it can sometimes take for them to heal. However, targeted muscle strengthening around the spine and joints through physical therapy can reduce that excess stress.
Furthermore, as you begin working on your stability during the healing phase, physical therapy can support this process. With a focus on core stability and your hip and back muscles, your balance and posture can improve. Your physical therapist may also recommend stability training, which helps decrease the risk of falls or movements that could lead to re-injury.
Improving Your Flexibility and Mobility
After a prolonged period of limited flexibility and mobility, regaining it can be a lengthy process. Post-treatment, you may also experience stiffness and scar tissue that further affect your movements.
Physical therapists aim to restore your normal joint and spinal motion through mobility exercises, stretching, and manual therapy.
Correcting Improper Movements
Many people experience injuries and subsequently require spine and joint treatments due to poor biomechanics. They may not have learned to lift heavy objects safely, or they consistently have poor posture. Over time, unsafe body mechanics can lead to injury.
Physical therapists train you in how to perform daily tasks, exercise, and your job safely to prevent re-injury and reduce the risk of fresh injuries.
Managing Your Pain
The body starts a natural healing process after an injury. The first phase is inflammation and swelling as a form of protection in the affected area. Following this, the body begins to restore damaged tissue and regain function. Physical therapy can be a form of support during this sometimes-painful healing process.
Physical therapists suggest a range of pain reduction methods based on your injury and the pain you’re experiencing. Some of the most effective include manual therapy, heat and ice, dry needling, and electrical stimulation.
Being able to manage your pain enables you to continue with other recommended exercises and activities that help restore your strength, mobility, stability, and flexibility.
A Supported Return to Activity
Joint or spinal treatment may have resolved your problem, but that doesn’t mean you can jump back into your old activities like you did before. Resuming regular activities can put you at risk of re-injury because your body is still recovering from the initial injury and subsequent treatment.
A physical therapist’s role in this sense is to slowly transition you to full activity with a minimal risk of re-injury. They can design progressive loading programs to reduce the risk of overexertion and explore specific rehabilitation methods reflective of the job or sport you’re hoping to return to.
Throughout your work with a physical therapist, they’re guiding you through a step-by-step program to prevent setbacks, frustration, and re-injury.
Receive Quality Physical Therapy from Eclipse Sports & Rehabilitation in Waxahachie, TX
It’s time to start taking care of your body. If you’ve received a spine or joint treatment and want to prevent pain, discomfort, and re-injury while promoting strength, stability, and mobility, you’re in the right place. Our experienced team of physical therapists is here to guide you on your journey to regaining full movement. Schedule an appointment today.