When someone suffers from an injury to their back, leg or arm, their doctor may recommend they see a Physical Therapist in Boca Raton FL. Doing a physical therapy program is a great way to reduce swelling and pain due to an injury. These injuries are usually the result of a sprain, twisting the body incorrectly, or over-exerting or tearing a muscle. There are several parts of a physical therapy program that all work together in helping the patient to heal.
A Physical Therapist in Boca Raton FL will first evaluate the extent of the injury by having the patient answer questions pertaining to their pain level when conducting simple tasks. They will observe the way the body moves when trying to accomplish these tasks and use this information to come up with a plan for healing. This plan will be individualized to the patient and can be tweaked as they go through their therapy sessions if necessary.
The patient will be asked to do several stretching exercises in an attempt to strengthen the body part they had injured. These will help make the underlying muscles stronger, helping to increase the range of motion of the body part as a result. It can take several weeks worth of exercising before results are seen.
In addition to stretching and exercises, the therapist will administer light massage to the area to help relax the muscles underneath. If at any time the patient feels uncomfortable with this process, the massage can be stopped. It is often very soothing to a patient and has favorable results as part of the healing process.
The patient may also enjoy having cold ice packs placed on the area with difficulty. This will reduce swelling and pain. When the swelling ceases, heat is often administered instead. This can be done in conjunction with electrotherapy to the muscle area.
If someone becomes injured, they can call a Physical Therapist in Boca Raton FL or ask their primary physician for a recommendation for one in the area. Contact Boca Raton Orthopaedic Group to find out more about their physical therapy programs and make an appointment for an evaluation if desired.
