Author: thinkptfirst

Therapist Guided Exercises Almost nothing heals faster than exercise, which is why it's the go-to treatment for most musculoskeletal conditions. In an outpatient setting, physical therapists will prescribe, dose, and monitor specific range-of-motion and strengthening exercises to stimulate recovery. Manual Therapy Manual therapy can be an excellent adjunct to exercise, not to mention a cost-effective… Continue reading #TherapyThursday: Top Physical Therapy Methods Explained

Would you believe in a nondrug treatment that works for arthritis, cancer pain, Parkinson's, and incontinence and improves your strength and endurance? There is one -- physical therapy. When a person gets injured or has a prolonged illness, doctors often recommend physical therapy. Truth be told, physical therapy can treat many conditions aside from injury,… Continue reading #WellnessWednesday: Physical Therapy Helps Seniors #AgeWell

Even if the only racquet you’ve ever swung is at a garage sale, you could still have tennis elbow. It means you have swollen tendons in your arm, giving you pain in your outer elbow, forearm, and wrist. It’s common in people who play sports such as tennis and squash, but most people get it… Continue reading #TipTuesday: Feel The Love With Tips For Treating Tennis Elbow

Addiction treatments typically focus on the mental and emotional aspects of a person’s health. But the excessive use of alcohol and drugs also has lasting effects on a person’s physical wellbeing. Physical therapy can be an effective and complementary treatment that helps individuals treat alcohol addiction. It helps restore the integrity and physiological function of… Continue reading #MovementMonday: Can Physical Therapy Help Treat Addiction?

Patients and their caregivers may approach physical therapists with questions about medical marijuana. This idea seems logical given that cannabinoids may have synergistic effects with various rehabilitation goals such as decreasing pain, inflammation, and spasticity. Physical therapists likewise play an important role in medication management, including their role in providing education about specific medications. In… Continue reading #FeelGoodFriday: What Medical Cannabis Means For To The Future Of Physical Therapy

We can all attest to the mood lifting and stress relieving benefits of having a pet around. For centuries, humans have relied on their furry companions as workers and rescuers, and have loved them as playmates and honorary family members; it should come as no surprise that physical therapists have learned to leverage the special bond between dogs and humans to help patients recover from a number of physical ailments.

Migraine headaches can be a severe, disabling condition and, unfortunately, don't come with a plethora of solutions. The purpose of physical therapy is to find and address the cause of the problem, as opposed to just masking the pain with medication

An average patient only sees their physical therapist for about 1-3 hours per week, which is a small amount of time spent to help correct a condition that may have existed for months or even years. It's important that patients realize physical therapy is much more than what goes on "in the clinic," and start looking at PT treatment and home exercise regimens as two halves of a whole.

Physical inactivity and poor nutrition may soon become the leading cause of preventable death in the United States; as parents, teachers, coaches and role models to our youth, it is our inherent responsibility to lead by example.