Physical therapy can be very beneficial for people with certain injuries, disabilities, or other health conditions. The goal of the physical therapist is to manage these conditions with the power of movement!
What Do Physical Therapist's Do?
Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants help you maximize your movement, manage pain, avoid surgery and prescription drugs, manage chronic (long-term) conditions, and recover from and prevent injury.
What's the Procedure when Receiving Physical Therapy Treatment?
Depending on what diagnosis, physical therapy can look very different from one person to the next. There are some similarities when it comes to procedures. Here is how a physical therapist might treat a client from the start to the end:
Conduct a physical exam and evaluation of a person’s movement, flexibility, muscle and joint motion, and performance, including finding out about their health history
Give a clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and plan of care with short- and long-term goals
Perform physical therapy treatment and intervention
Give self-management recommendations, including exercises a person can do at home
How Do I Get Treatment?
When it comes to receiving physical therapy services there are a few ways to go about it. If you have a prescription for physical therapy, simply call and schedule an appointment! The details of the required frequency and length of physical therapy will already be written on your script. Another option is to receive services through direct access. Since Illinois is a state that allow for direct access to physical therapy, simply schedule an appointment with an outpatient clinic to get started. Often times for direct access, a primary care provider is needed to oversee treatment, but not start it.
