If you struggle with advanced osteoarthritis, have had shoulder surgery or need help with your balance, then a physical therapist is the person to help you along the path to recovery. The key to all physical therapy programs is individualized care, and our physical therapists at Watauga Orthopaedics provide just that. Keep reading to learn how physical therapy can help restore your joint and muscle function so you can have the best quality of life.
Who Needs Physical Therapy?
People of all ages and walks of life can benefit from the services of a physical therapist. Whether you have a chronic (ongoing) condition, such as arthritis or you’ve recently had joint surgery and want to recover your range of motion, a program of physical therapy can help. Tailor-made to your health needs, abilities and personal goals, physical therapy treatment plans deliver the skill building and the motivation necessary for best physical function.
Examples of the many orthopedic conditions we treat at Watauga Orthopaedics include:
- Upper extremity problems, such as trigger finger, frozen shoulder and rotator cuff tears
- Neck and back problems, such as whiplash and degenerative disc disease
- Sports-related conditions, such as tennis elbow and Achilles tendonitis
- Sprains, strains and fractures
- Torn ligaments and cartilage in the knee
- Ankle instability due to repeated fractures
- Repetitive motion injuries, such as shin splints and carpal tunnel syndrome in the wrist
What Does a Physical Therapy Evaluation Involve?
A Functional Capacity Evaluation, or FCE, is the first step in understanding a patient’s specific health, functional deficits and strengths. An FCE gives the physical therapist precise measurements and data to formulate a treatment plan. This treatment plan may include specific exercises, skills training/retraining, pain relief and prevention of falls and sports-related injuries.
This in-clinic test measures the ability to:
- Stand, sit, walk
- Carry, lift, bend, reach
- Do fine motor tasks
Details about range of motion, balance and muscular/cardiovascular endurance are revealed during an FCE as well. With these findings, the therapist can develop a plan to improve deficits, teach new skills, and more.
Plans are reevaluated and adjusted with subsequent functional capacity evaluations as needed. Plus, therapists usually report progress to patients’ primary care physicians, specialists, employers, coaches and more.
What Treatment Modalities Does a Program of Physical Therapy Involve?
Physical therapists are experts in delivering numerous restorative and preventive services to orthopedic patients. These can include:
- Hands-on treatments for soft tissue and joint mobilization
- Programs of in-clinic and at-home exercises
- Dry needling
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
- Massage therapy
- Lymphatic drainage
- Application of heat and cold
- Patient education on how to use durable medical equipment, such as crutches, or walkers
- Scar reduction and wound care strategies
- Training in balance and proprioception
In addition, when orthopedic patients engage in customized physical therapy programs, they feel accountable and motivated to do their best. They can see the skills they need to work on, and through their programs, they realize that real progress is possible.
Physical therapists fully engage their patients as real people with real health needs. They see a patient’s potential to improve movement, independence, strength, endurance and other skills we often take for granted. That positivity is engaging and infectious. In fact, an orthopedic physical therapy clinic is demonstrably optimistic, even for the most frail and needy of patients.
Learning More About Our Physical Therapy Services in Tennessee
At Watauga Orthopaedics, our physical therapy team utilizes a multi-pronged approach to recovery from and management of a wide array of bone and joint issues. Orthopedics is all about overall wellness, musculoskeletal function, pain management and instilling confidence in each and every patient who wishes to live well with chronic conditions. Through physical therapy, they can regain their best selves after surgery or injury.
We have 15 physical therapists on our staff, many of whom have advanced training as Doctors of Physical Therapy. Along with their assistants, these caring professionals use all they have learned to give patients real skills usable in day-to-day life.
If you would like to know more about our physical therapy services, please arrange a consultation with us by calling (423) 282-9011 or request a visit here. We will be happy to schedule you.
PT promotes strength, coordination, flexibility, mobility and proper body mechanics. By utilizing these treatments together, physical therapists can optimize a person’s well-being at one of our three locations in Bristol, Johnson City or Kingsport, Tennessee.
