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What is Physical Therapy?
The treatment of disease, injury, or deformity by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment, and exercise rather than by drugs or surgery.
Who are physical therapists?
What is the deciding factor to becoming a physical therapist?
Types of physical therapy
Orthopedic
Orthopedic therapy is the most commonly available form of physical therapy. This physical therapy treats injuries to the muscles, bones and other tissue in the body. People needing this type of therapy could have been injured while working or playing sports.
Wound Care
Physical therapists can perform treatments that help with wound care. This type of physical therapy involves making sure the body is getting enough blood and oxygen to a wound. This includes necrotic wounds, chronic wounds and wounds that are not healing after surgery.
Pediatric
Children have different needs when it comes to physical therapy. Pediatric therapists specialize in treating children of all ages who have problems with movement, strength or coordination.
Cardiopulmonary
Anyone who has undergone a serious cardiopulmonary event like a heart attack could need to see a cardiopulmonary physical therapist. This is often necessary because the heart could be in a weakened state after recovery.
Vestibular
Vestibular physical therapists primarily help people who have sustained damage to the mechanisms of the inner ear. This affects balance and coordination. The therapy uses a number of manual techniques in order to help people start to compensate for the new signals being received from the inner ear.
Geriatric
A number of problems can start to affect a person because of age. Geriatric physical therapy specializes in helping individuals overcome some of the common issues that form later in life. This includes reduced mobility due to arthritis, weakened bones and muscles due to osteoporosis and difficulty moving after surgery to replace or repair joints. Each treatment routine is different depending on the individual and the extent of the problems. Effective geriatric therapy can allow older people to live more active and fulfilling lives with less pain.
Decongestive
Decongestive physical therapy deals mainly with patients who have edema or problems with the lymph nodes. These individuals accumulate fluids in parts of the body like the arms and legs. Decongestive therapists can drain these fluids when they become too painful or problematic.
Neurological
Any individual who has neurological issues can benefit from specialized physical therapy. Unlike other therapies that focus on specific bone or muscle injuries, neurological therapists focus on the brain and the body. People suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, healing after a traumatic brain injury or recovering from a stroke are all potential candidates for this type of therapy.
Kansas City CARE clinic
Website: http://www.kccareclinic.org
Phone: 816.753.5144
APTA Volunteer Groups
Email: nationalgovernance@apta.org
Website: http://www.apta.org/VolunteerGroups/
Phone: 8009992782
Interviews
- Mrs. Sarol
- Mrs.Samayar