What's Involved in Physical Therapy?

Physical therapy helps with a wide variety of rehabilitation and recovery needs. In fact, physical therapy is one of the best ways to rebuild your health and wellness after an illness, injury, or surgical procedure.

At South Texas Spinal Clinic, our team of orthopedic surgery and physical therapy experts treat new and existing patients from locations throughout San Antonio and South Texas. We use a full range of physical therapy and rehabilitative treatments, considering your whole-body health now and in the long term.

If you need physical therapy, here’s what you need to know about the top-quality care and support you can expect from the team at South Texas Spinal Clinic.

Physical therapy for muscles and joints

Physical therapy can strengthen, straighten, and realign your muscles and joints. Your physical therapy treatment plan focuses on the areas of your body that need rehabilitation, using techniques like targeted stretches and exercises.

With physical therapy, you can improve mobility and muscle tone over time. Physical therapy also effectively reduces inflammation and can help with lingering pain and discomfort by increasing blood flow in the affected area during healing.

Physical therapy modalities

While stretches and exercises are common elements in physical therapy treatment, your physical therapy plan at South Texas Spinal Clinic may also include other treatment modalities, depending on your unique care and rehabilitation needs. Your treatment could include:

• Manual therapy for soft tissue or spine and joint mobilization
• Myofascial release or trigger point therapy
• Therapeutic massage
• Therapeutic exercise
• Taping or bracing
• Ultrasound or electrical stimulation

During your first appointment, we work with you to determine the physical therapy plan that will work best for you.

Who needs physical therapy?

The South Texas Spinal Clinic team recommends physical therapy for patients after orthopedic surgery. Physical therapy can also help patients with degenerative diseases or people who have experienced a physical injury or trauma.

Whether you’ve suffered a spinal injury, a sports injury, or a repetitive-use injury, physical therapy can restore your condition. And physical therapy works for patients of all ages, from elders to young children.

While the effort and willpower to succeed with physical therapy ultimately have to come from you, the South Texas Spinal Clinic team can do a lot to support you through your recovery challenges. Your physical therapist supervises your program, adjusting your plan to keep your healing on track. Be prepared to push yourself during in-office and at-home sessions.

If you stick with your physical therapy treatment, you may be able to fully restore your health, vitality, mobility, and more. To learn more about how physical therapy at South Texas Spinal Clinic could help you, schedule a consultation appointment with a member of our team online or over the phone now.