FAQ
- Am I required to go to the physical therapist my doctor referred me to?
- Why do I need to see a physical therapist?
- What ages do you treat?
- I am not a professional athlete, can I benefit from physical therapy?
- How can physical therapy aid my pregnancy?
- Do you make custom orthotics?
- How important is physical therapy after surgery?
Am I required to go to the physical therapist my doctor referred me to?
The choice is always yours when it comes to selecting a place to go to for Physical Therapy. Your doctor may recommend a place for you to go to but it does not mean you are required to go there.
All of us at Sundance Physical Therapy work together to make sure getting started is easy for you. When your doctor gives you a prescription order for physical therapy, simply call our office and our Receptionist will help you schedule an appointment with one of our highly trained Physical Therapists.
Why do I need to see a physical therapist?
When you experience an injury or have to endure pain for an extended period of time, your entire life changes. Simple tasks and daily activities are no longer possible without pain and you begin to forget what life is like without the pain and dysfunction. This is when most doctors prescribe physical therapy.
Many patients may think that they know how to properly exercise, manage their pain and rehabilitate themselves. Patients commonly give therapists reasons why they do not need therapy – for example, “I have had this before and I know what works for me” or, “I know what is causing this because my neighbor had the same thing, so I will just do what she did” and attempt to self-manage their condition. Physical Therapist are continually educated in the management of different dysfunctions, differentiation of one dysfunction/injury from another and they work closely with the referring physician in the development of a rehabilitation program specifically designed for each individual patient.
The other important aspect to remember with physical therapy is that each individual is different. We all have different types of bodies, different patterns of movement, different alignments and different habits. A physical therapist, along with trained staff, monitors each individual and attempt to correct improper habits, alignments and movement patterns.
Most important with therapy is education. Due to healthcare guidelines and reimbursement changes, your physician may not have the time needed to explain exactly what your injury/dysfunction/disability is and why/how it occurred. Your therapist specializes in this and many times will be the one to educate you on the specifics of your problem and what the course of action will be to correct it and hopefully prevent it from reoccurring. PT focuses on education, correction, and prevention.
What ages do you treat?
We treat ages 5 and up.
I am not a professional athlete, can I benefit from physical therapy?
Physical therapy is not just for the elite athlete. Physical therapy is a cure not just a temporary relief from all those body aches and pains a person suffers from. Physical therapy looks into the physical problems of an individual to prevent them from further deteriorating and affecting a major part of his life. And as this is a science, it aims to promote physical endurance and stability in muscle and bone coordination.
People who can greatly benefit from physical therapy include those with temporary and permanent disabilities as well as those experiencing pains in certain parts of their body. The goal here is to relieve a patient from pain and allow him or her to lead a normal life performing his daily tasks with no difficulty. It targets the musculoskeletal, neuromusculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary and integument systems of the body.
Physical therapy is a traditional treatment aimed at the treatment and curing of certain ailments, and preventing the chances of reoccurrence of the same at a later point of time. Its primary aim is to bring back the patients to his/her normal self, free of any pain or sufferings, so that he/she could then onwards lead a normal life by performing all the daily activities with minimal or no difficulty. Physical therapy deals with cardiopulmonary and neurological conditions as well.
There are three primary goals of physical therapy; pain management, improved mobility and strengthening. Each one of these is an important step in the process of healing. While the body does possess the ability to heal itself, many injuries require intervention to accomplish complete healing. Often, once an injury has occurred, it is more likely to happen again, unless it has been properly rehabilitated.
How can physical therapy aid my pregnancy?
Even during the economic downturn, it is vital not to cut out good prenatal care. Prenatal physical therapy is covered by insurance and can save money in the long run.
"LOS ANGELES, March 18 /PRNewswire/ — * New research studies from the Mayo Clinic are confirming the benefits of regular exercise during pregnancy and in fact, prenatal physical therapy, which targets specific pregnancy issues vs. traditional exercise at the gym or running, can help a woman prepare for labor and delivery by increasing core muscle strength and stamina. Taking preventative measures can reduce the risk of pregnancy complications and lessen the need for more medical intervention during and after pregnancy. Being in good physical shape can even shorten labor and speed recovery and this can mean shorter hospital stays and getting mothers back home sooner. Research available at the National Center for Biotechnology (NCBI) shows 80% of pregnant women experience low back pain as well as hip pain. Many women also have difficulty recovering from c-sections. Caesarean delivery rates rose to 31.1% in 2006 and new mothers are challenged by nursing, changing and lifting infants after abdominal muscles have been operated on and are severely compromised. Some women also report postpartum carpal tunnel syndrome due to caring for their babies.
When a woman is pregnant, her entire body goes through a metabolic change. Sure her belly gets bigger, that’s obvious. But weight gain during pregnancy is only one of the challenges facing a pregnant woman. Did you know the same protein your body releases to stretch the ligaments in your pelvic area also have the same effects on the rest of the joints in your body? That is why pregnant women complain of wrist pain and weakness, hip pain and weakness and ankle pain and weakness. Women may also experience swelling in those areas. The risk for injury to your wrists, ankles and low back increases during this time."
Sundance Physical Therapy has developed a program for prenatal fitness that takes all the above complaints and wraps it into one preventative pregnancy fitness program. Depending on the restrictions of your OB/Gyn, you will be offered a pregnancy exercise program that includes stretches for your entire body, strengthening exercises to maintain muscle tone, and most importantly, reassurance to women who enter our program, by the fact that they will be monitored by a trained therapist while doing their pregnancy exercises. As new complaints or aches arise, women feel like they can get immediate responses. Endurance and cardio exercises are to keep your heart rate up, and help guard against pregnancy weight gain.
There are many potential benefits of exercise during pregnancy, including improved posture and cardiovascular fitness, strengthening specific muscles used during labor and deliver, helping to maintain a healthy weight, reduction of stress and anxiety, relaxation and am improved sense of well-being.
Do you make custom orthotics?
Yes.
An orthotic is a device designed to align the foot and ankle into the most anatomically efficient position. Prescription biomechanical foot orthotics allow the feet and legs to function more normally by maintaining the proper angular relationship between the bones of the feet and leg.
Since the feet are the foundation of the upper body, the new alignment provided by orthotics often helps alleviate problems in other parts of the body such as the knees or lower back.
Orthotics work to maintain “normal” foot position so that the foot can function properly. Normal foot position provides a stable base of support allows absorption of shock and assists in the acceleration of the body. Without that position our body has to work harder with every step. Orthotics act to decrease the stresses of daily function. They bring “the ground” to your foot limiting overuse of your muscles. They help with simple standing, walking, high impact sports or running. Orthotics improve shock absorption which helps prevent injuries further up the chain and then correct for misalignment issues which interfere with optimum performance.
How important is physical therapy after surgery?
There are three primary goals of physical therapy; pain management, improved mobility and strengthening. Each one of these is an important step in the process of healing. While the body does possess the ability to heal itself, many injuries require intervention to accomplish complete healing. Often, once an injury has occurred, it is more likely to happen again, unless it has been properly rehabilitated.