5 Interesting Facts About Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is a popular form of treatment that is very effective at treating disease, injury, or deformity. If you’ve seen a physical therapist before, you may be wondering what it’s all about and how you can benefit. For one, physical therapy relies on methods such as massage, heat treatment, and exercise to help individuals get back on their feet. It is a very good alternative to traditional drugs or surgery, as it benefits the entire body and is much safer than these other methods of treatment. It is considered a natural form of self-healing that can improve quality of life and range of motion in patients who have experienced some type of injury, trauma, or disease.

At Classic Rehabilitation, we often get questions about what physical therapy actually is and how it can benefit you. With this in mind, we thought it would be helpful to take a moment to look at some of the most interesting facts about physical therapy. Our hope is that everyone, including those who are familiar with the benefits of physical therapy, will learn something new. It is our goal to help patients find the right treatments for their body and needs. Every individual is unique and may benefit from different modalities and forms of treatment. If you have questions about physical therapy or would like to learn more about how we can help you recover from an illness or injury, please do not hesitate to contact Classic Rehabilitation today.

Let’s now take a look at some of our favorite facts about physical therapy:

• Physical therapy started as a female-only profession – The American Women’s Physical Therapeutic Association was founded in 1921, in part as a response to WWI. At this time, the organization had 274 members, its president – Mary McMillan – was a strong advocate for physical therapy as a women’s health profession. By 1922, the name was changed to the American Physiotherapy Association, at which point men were able to join.
• Techniques used in physical therapy today can be traced back thousands of years – It is believed that many of the techniques and methods used in physical therapy today can be traced back to famed Greek philosopher Hippocrates and, later, Galen. Both were advocates for the use of massage and hydrotherapy dating as far back as 460 BC.
• There are many different types of physical therapy – Physical therapists can be found in many different settings – including outpatient clinics, private clinics, hospitals, schools, and the emergency room – and there are also many different types of physical therapy. Some examples include orthopedic, acute care, post-operative care, cardiovascular, pulmonary rehab, neurologic rehabilitation, and wound care.
• Physical therapy can actually reduce your treatment expenses – The Health Services Journal states that individuals with lower back pain who sought out physical therapy before any other type of treatment had 72% fewer costs than those who went a different direction.
• Physical therapy incorporates massage, but not how you may think – Physical therapists are trained massage therapists, but this isn’t the spa day kind of massage that may come to mind. Our physical therapist use massage to decrease tightness and tone and improve tissue mobility of specific muscles that may be inflamed and causing you pain.

To learn more about how you may benefit from physical therapy, please contact Classic Rehabilitation today and schedule an appointment.