Some Facts About Physical Therapy
Physical therapy involves the treatment of disease or injury through natural methods. This includes massage, heat applications and exercise. Of course, at Farmingdale Physical Therapy West, we provide this for our patients day in and day out. Rather than prescribing drugs or surgery, physical therapy is a natural form of healing. In addition, it helps to improve quality of life and range of motion in patients coping with serious physical setbacks.
Physical therapy is, generally speaking, familiar to most people. People will know that it involves stretching, exercises, and other treatments to a specific area. However, there’s a lot more to physical therapy than meets the eye. In this post, we’ll list four little-known facts about its history, advantages and what distinguishes it from other forms of treatment.
1. Most Modern Physical Therapy Techniques Are Thousands of Years Old
Many experts believe that Hippocrates and Galen were the very first to passionately advocate massage, dynamic stretches and hydrotherapy in order to treat injuries and ailments. They originally voiced their support for these treatments as far back as 460 B.C.
Additionally, China, Persia and Egypt all have similar histories with physical therapy. They describe the advantages of movement, stretching, exercise and massage for healing acute/chronic injuries and disorders.
2. There Are Many Different Types of Physical Therapy
Did you know that physical therapists do not all fit into one category? Just like any other kind of healthcare, there are numerous specialties that benefit various types of injuries and diverse body parts.
When it comes to physical therapy, some notable types include: orthopedic, acute care, post-operative care, cardiovascular, pulmonary rehab, prenatal and many more. In addition, there are speech therapists, pediatric physical therapists, and occupational therapists.
3. Physical Therapy Can Reduce Patients’ Treatment Costs
According to the Health Services Research Journal, patients with shoulder pain who received physical therapy originally reported (on average) 72% fewer expenses within the first year than their counterparts.
Another study found that patients who received physical therapy and patients who underwent surgery had the same recovery results. However, the physical therapy patients spent roughly half of the money that the surgical patients spent.
4. Physical Therapy is Among the Top 10 “Happiest Jobs”
When factoring in median salary, job flexibility, and job growth, it’s not exactly a mystery why physical therapy is such an appealing pursuit for so many.
However, it’s not exactly a career pursuit one should enter lightly. In order to become a legitimate physical therapist, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree and then a doctorate (which takes around three years to earn). 80% of the course is theoretical, and the remaining 20% is practical (or hands-on).
Final Thoughts
Each one of us at Farmingdale Physical Therapy West decided to pursue physical therapy as a career for one primary reason: the satisfaction of helping others. We find nothing more rewarding than guiding our patients towards swift, complete recoveries, without any drugs or surgical procedures.
