Now that we have defined function as it relates to physical therapy, let’s talk about a few things that can limit one’s function and your Doctor of Physical Therapy can help!
PAIN – Pain can range from mild to severe, acute to chronic, annoyance to completely debilitating. Pain can correlate with an injury one has sustained but it is typically a much more complex interaction between the tissues, the nervous system, and the brain. Regardless of your pain, physical therapy can provide pain relief interventions, nervous system retraining, and even cognitive-behavioral training to allow your body to relearn to function without maladaptive pain.
MOBILITY LOSS – Whether it’s at a specific joint or more global loss of movement within the body, a loss of mobility is sure to limit one’s ability to get around and participate in their typical daily activities. A physical therapist can help to identify the location and cause of mobility loss then provide you with interventions to increase your mobility or retrain your body to work around the loss in order to function better.
LACK OF BODY AWARENESS OR CONFIDENCE – How many times have you seen someone do an activity and thought to yourself “oh I could never do that”? How many times have you written off not being able to run or jump anymore because of your age or the fact that you have given birth? Often times, our lack of body awareness and confidence is really what is holding us back. Physical Therapy can help you identify what is “normal” to feel within your own body, help retrain your body to work post-injury or post-birth, and help provide you with an appropriate plan to get back to doing your activities confidently!
OTHER SYMPTOMS (VERTIGO, BLADDER/BOWEL LEAKAGE, PRESSURE, NUMBNESS/TINGLING) – There are a number of symptoms that can make us stop functioning well. These symptoms are often uncomfortable and make us avoid activities that we would typically participate due to fear or embarrassment. These symptoms are often anxiety-provoking and you may not even know where to begin when looking for help. Did you know that our Doctor of Physical Therapy can effectively treat all of these symptoms or refer you to an appropriate provider as needed?! Physical Therapy has a wide scope when it comes to your body. So chances are if it’s limiting your function, we can help.
Don’t wait to get help! If your function is limited by any of these issues, go into your Doctor of Physical Therapy first so you can start living better, faster. To learn more about how physical therapy can help you function better, call Life Changes Physical Therapy today!