Patient Education
Frederick Sport and Spine Clinics
WHAT IS PHYSICAL THERAPY?
The PT will give you tests to measure:
- How well you can move around, reach, bend, or grasp
- How well you walk or climb steps
- Your heartbeat or rhythm while active
- Your posture or balance
Then, the therapist will work with you to create a treatment plan. It will include your personal goals like functioning and feeling better, plus exercises or other treatments to help you reach them.
You may take less or more time to reach those goals than other people in physical therapy. Everyone is different. You may also have more or fewer sessions than others. It just depends on your needs.
You treatments might include:
- Exercises or stretches guided by your therapist
- Massage, heat, or cold therapy, warm water therapy, or ultrasound to ease muscle pain or spasms
- Rehab to help you learn to use an artificial limb
- Practice with gadgets that help you move or stay balanced, like a cane or walker
Your therapist will watch your progress and adjust your treatments as necessary.
You can do the exercises your therapist teaches you at home between sessions. This will help you stay on track and improve your fitness.
WHERE DO YOU GET PT?
PTs sometimes come to your home to guide your therapy. They also work in:
- Hospitals
- Outpatient clinics
- Sports medicine centers
- Private medical offices
- Nursing homes
- Assisted living homes
- Rehab centers
- Offices and work sites
- Schools or colleges
WebMD Medical Reference Reviewed by Ross Brakeville, DPT on July 27, 2017
DO YOU KNOW HOW FIT YOU ARE?
Use the Fit Factor survey to assess and learn about your physical health. The Fit Factor is an online survey that you can take in your own home that will assess all aspects of your physical health. The questions will range from your exercise habits to your ability to participate in everyday physical and leisure activities. This interactive test will evaluate your balance, strength, and flexibility into a Fit Factor score that will categorize you into one of six levels of physical health. There are also educational videos that will provide you with a vast amount of information and tips including injury prevention, exercise, posture, development of strength, flexibility, and balance.
