Physical therapy involves various procedures that treat abnormal physical function resulting from injuries, disability, or other health conditions. It primarily aims to improve your range of motion and quality of life and prevent further injury or disability. Depending on your condition, you can have physical therapy, Charleston, as a standalone treatment or combine it with other treatment options. Physical therapy helps reduce pain, minimize or eliminate the need for surgery or medications, promote faster healing, and improve strength. Here are common treatments included in physical therapy.
Light therapy
Light therapy involves your doctor holding a light-emitting wand directly over your injured area. The device emits a specific light wavelength that helps improve the healing and treat chronic pain and inflammation. This treatment is painless and takes a short period of about one to three minutes. Light therapy functions through photons of light carrying energy applied to your injured tissues improving the cellular process, speeding healing, and reducing pain.
Cold therapy
Cold therapy helps minimize blood flow to the injured region, slowing inflammation and reducing the risk of swelling and tissue damage. It also acts as a local anesthetic by numbing the sore tissues, slowing down pain massages traveling to your brain. Cold therapy may involve applying an ice cube over the affected region two to three times a day for a maximum of five minutes. For three days, you can also use a chemical cold pack on the inflamed part for twenty minutes after every four to six hours. Do not apply ice directly on your skin.
Heat therapy
Heat therapy dilates the blood vessels, promotes blood flow, and helps relax sore and tightened muscles. It may involve applying over-the-counter electrical heating pads or hot compressors over the injured region or soaking the affected part in a hot bath of thirty-three to thirty-seven point seven degrees Celsius. Heat therapy can treat osteoarthritis, strains, sprains, and tendonitis and alleviate pain or spasms resulting from neck or back injuries. Heat therapy is more effective than ice treatment at treating chronic muscle pain and sore joints resulting from arthritis.
Electrical muscle stimulation
Electrical muscle stimulation involves your provider sending electrical impulses through your to target nerves or muscles using special devices. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) are the most common types of electrical muscle stimulation. These procedures can relieve pain and heal injured or weak muscles. Electrical muscle stimulation can help relax muscle spasms, restrain muscles, and prevent muscle loss.
Chiropractic care
Chiropractic care involves your licensed chiropractor using their hands or special devices to manipulate your joints. This therapy can help decrease pain, correct your body’s alignment and improve how your body functions physically. Your chiropractor can treat musculoskeletal pain in any body part. Chiropractic care can treat many conditions, including arthritis, frequent headaches, joint pain, sciatic, lower back pain, muscle stiffness, and neck pain.
Physical therapy aims to reduce pain, improve range of motion, eliminate or minimize the need for surgery or medications, and improve function. It involves various techniques, including light therapy, electrical muscle stimulation, heat and cold treatments, and chiropractic care. Schedule an appointment at The Rehab Docs for physical therapy to restore your range of motion.