Whether you suffer from a long-lasting health condition, injury, or chronic pain, the first thing that comes to your mind will be medications that provide immediate relief. But there is an alternate treatment for all these problems - physical therapy, Colorado Springs, CO, a non-invasive and cost-effective method.

Physical therapists are trained and licensed professionals who evaluate the condition or injury, find the underlying cause and treat them through specialized physical therapy treatment plans. Physical therapy helps maintain physical function, restore mobility, and promote faster recovery.

This article briefly describes the significant benefits of physical therapy in improving people’s overall health and the quality of their lives.

1) Reduces Pain

When the body is injured in some way, the nerve cells send information to the brain, making us feel the pain. During pain, we search for immediate relief in some way to feel better. The use of medications like opioids can provide temporary pain relief but lead to addiction and affect mental health.

Here, physical therapy plays a significant role by minimizing or eliminating pain without costly surgery or pain medications. Manual therapy techniques such as joint and soft tissue mobilization, therapeutic exercises, ultrasound therapy, electrical stimulation help restore muscle and joint function, thus reducing pain.

2) Avoid Surgery

Physical therapy, Colorado Springs, CO, helps eliminate discomfort and starts the healing process in the body after an injury, thus reducing the need for surgery. Although surgery is unavoidable in some cases, many other physical conditions have responded well to physical therapy and helped avoid surgery.

Research shows that physical therapy effectively treats conditions including spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, knee osteoarthritis, and rotator cuff tears, eliminating the need for surgery.

In other cases, where surgery is the only way to treat, pre-and post-surgery rehabilitation processes carried out in physical therapy centers prepare the body for surgery, help improve better outcomes and heal the body quickly.

3) Return To Activity After Injury

Athletes are more likely to get injuries often. Different types of injuries can happen, including neck injuries, shoulder injuries, knee injuries, etc. Physical therapy helps manage any kind of injury through specialized exercises and modalities.

The rehabilitation process includes the initial stage, in which the therapists help patients reduce pain and inflammation through modalities like heat or cold therapy, ultrasound therapy, electrical stimulation, and Kinesio taping.

The next is the recovery phase, in which the physical therapists suggest exercises to strengthen the injured area and improve the range of motion, flexibility, and balance. The final stage is the functional phase, in which the therapists help prepare the patients’ bodies to perform the activities they love.

4) Prevent Further Injuries

Physical therapy, Colorado Springs, CO, not only helps individuals recover from injuries but also prevents the recurrence of further injuries. Injuries are common in athletes who are involved in vigorous training and activities.

Physical therapists can diagnose the areas of weakness and poor mobility that may leave a patient susceptible to injury and design a therapeutic plan to target those weak areas and reduce the probability of injuries.

Physical therapists also educate their patients to condition their muscles and ligaments through proper techniques and exercises so that they can train their bodies from getting hurt.

5) Improve Balance

As people age, neurological problems affect them, making them lose their balance and susceptible to falls. Falls and fear of falling lead to severe injuries in older patients, hindering their independent life.

Physical therapists teach specialized exercises to address muscle weakness and improve muscle strength, especially trunk, hip, and core muscles which are essential for maintaining proper balance.

Physical therapists provide vestibular therapy if the balance problem is caused by the vestibular system. Vestibular therapy or rehabilitation is an exercise-based program that helps improve balance and reduce issues related to dizziness.

6) Improve Mobility

Conditions like arthritis and several other injuries cause aches and pains, limiting the normal movements of individuals. Physical therapy exercises help keep the body strong and improve the functional mobility of patients, decreasing the likelihood of injuries.

7) Fix Posture

Almost all of us practice bad posture due to our busy lives and lack of awareness. Employees who work eight or more hours per day in a desk job suffer from posture problems due to their bad practices. Forward head posture is the most common problem that increases pressure on the muscles attached to the neck, causing neck pain and muscle tightness.

Physical therapists can evaluate the muscles that cause poor posture and suggest personalized exercises. These exercises strengthen the muscles and enhance flexibility to reduce the stress on the spine, thus improving posture and promoting neck pain relief, Colorado Springs, CO.

Final Thoughts

The above-listed things are some of the several benefits of physical therapy, Colorado Springs, CO. Physical therapy transformed the lives of several people who struggled with painful lives. If you want to live a healthy, pain-free life, visit a physical therapy clinic andschedule your first appointment to perceive the benefits.