Brooklyn Physical Therapy News- Evolve NY
Physical Therapy and Custom Fitness Programs
Physical Therapy and Different Types of Fitness Programs- Sooner or later, you will graduate from your Physical Therapy program. This means that you have reached your goals - decreased or eliminated the pain, you are able to move again, you are able to go back to work. However, more often than not, many patients stop doing their exercises when they finish the program…
PT and Different Types of Fitness Programs
Sooner or later, you will graduate from your Physical Therapy program. This means that you have reached your goals - decreased or eliminated the pain, you are able to move again, you are able to go back to work. However, more often than not, many patients stop doing their exercises when they finish the program. This will more than likely mean you have recurring pain and have to return another round of Physical Therapy sessions before too long.
What Should You Do After Physical Therapy?
Well, you should definitely continue to exercise! Most patients stop doing even simple exercise programs when they stop coming for Physical Therapy. Continuing your exercises will ensure that you keep all the flexibility, strength, balance and skills that you gained through your sessions. Stopping it will only put you at risk of re-injury. However, diving into fitness programs without any knowledge could potentially do you more harm than good.
In post-rehabilitation fitness programs, the main goal is to avoid re-injury and maintain or improve your current strength and flexibility. These fitness programs are facilitated by personal trainers, or you might’ve guessed it, other physical therapists! Your trainers will make sure you perform exercises at an appropriate level. For example, basketball players that have been injured and rehabilitated cannot return to their previous fitness training immediately, their healed structures might not be able to take the pressure of being used at such a high level. An injured athlete will need to gradually ease back into their original fitness training program post-rehab.
Ordinary individuals who do not participate in sports or activities, but who put strain on their bodies, can participate in regular fitness programs facilitated by personal trainers or fitness instructors. It is important to let their instructors know that they have just finished a bout of Physical Therapy. They will likely adjust their program for you to protect your still healing body.
Finding the Right Program
It can be overwhelming to find the right program for you. There are loads of gyms, clinics and centers available for you, but finding the right trainer and program is important.
Here are some steps to take before deciding on a program:
Figure out the pre-exercise and dynamic warm up and cool down routines that are perfect for you. If it’s not painful, and it’s warming your body up (or cooling it down) in a good way, then it’s perfect.
If the exercise of program hurts, then you need to find another one. Remember that even though you’re done with PT, your body is still in the process of healing. Your body mechanics are completely different pre-injury to post-injury, so listen to your body. If it’s painful, then you should stop.
Find a program that you enjoy. It can be lifting weights in the gym (supervised, of course), yoga, pilates, cross fit, swimming or even dancing! Choose a program that you will love, so that it will be easier to maintain and continue!
Why do I still need a Fitness Program?
Again, even though you have graduated from a PT program, your body is still healing and there is still a risk of re-injury. We want to prevent that. We also want to maintain whatever gains you obtained during your sessions with your PT! Other reasons to work out after PT are:
To further rebuild muscle - Did you know that staying in bed for two straight days can already have muscle wasting effects on your body? Or that sitting in front of the TV/desk all day can actually weaken your muscles? Your muscles need to be continually challenged for it to maintain its strength, but it’s more important to challenge them post-injury or post-rehab.
To restore bone strength and density - muscles put pressure and load on our bones. When a person leads a sedentary lifestyle, there can be a certain level of muscle wasting and atrophy, and therefore a decreased bone density and strength. Load your muscles, and they will load your bones. This will protect you from fractures and musculoskeletal pain.
To improve mental health - Sometimes, people get depressed, angry or lonely after an injury, surgery or even physical therapy. This is because they feel the difference in their bodies and may feel that they are not the same. Enrolling in a fitness program will help with a person’s emotional or mental well-being, while also addressing their physical needs.
To improve overall health and wellness - Even if Physical Therapy had your body in an improved state, your cardiovascular system may still have a hard time keeping up. If you’re a runner, you might have a hard time returning to your normal running distance and routine. Even if you’re a stay at home mother, you might still have a hard time doing chores or chasing the kids. A consistent fitness program will help everyone ease back into their normal self.
As much as we love seeing our patients, it’s better to see them doing well and injury-free!
Would you like assistance creating a custom fitness program? Give us a call! 1-718-258-3300
About Evolve Physical Therapy-
Advanced, One on One, Hands On Physical Therapy in Brooklyn-
Parkinson's Boxing Training - Active Release Physical Therapy - Sports Physical Therapy NYC - Manual One on One Physical Therapy Brooklyn NYC - Hand Physical Therapy - Running + Gait Training - Soft Tissue Physical Therapy- Pediatric Physical Therapy - Schroth Method - Pre-Hab Physical Therapy - TMJ Specialists- Post-surgical Physical Therapy Care - Occupational Physical Therapy Clinics - Orthopedic Physical Therapy in Brooklyn, NY
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Physical Therapy for Seniors
Senior Care and Physical Therapy for Elderly People- Physical Therapy is suitable for all ages and sizes. From birth to old age, you can bet that there is a Physical Therapist ready to accommodate your concerns. Back pain, shoulder pain, strength or balance issues, a physical therapist can help you…
Senior Care and Physical Therapy for Elderly People
Physical Therapy is suitable for all ages and sizes. From birth to old age, you can bet that there is a Physical Therapist ready to accommodate your concerns. Back pain, shoulder pain, strength or balance issues, a physical therapist can help you. In Physical Therapy for the elderly, the sessions are geared to help the individual to be independent, or to be able to move around safely at the very least.
Physical therapy for seniors has many benefits. As we have mentioned, the goal of therapy is to get you back to your feet safely. You don’t need to spend your days confined in a bed, or a chair, or be under a strict, watchful eye of a doctor. Here are some of the benefits you can get from PT:
Here are some of the benefits you can get from PT for Seniors:
Ease pain - don’t be afraid of pain! It is actually a protective mechanism and it tells us that something is wrong. Your physical therapist (along with your primary doctor) can help you identify where it’s coming from and hopefully eliminate it.
Prevent surgery - Before considering having surgery, try a conventional prehab physical therapy session first. It’s best to avoid it since surgery and its entire process - the operation and recovery - is an ordeal that comes with its own set of risks.
Recover from an injury or surgery - this is what physical therapists are best at, recovery. They are part of the after surgery physical therapy rehabilitation team that aims to return you to your prior function before your injury/surgery.
Physical therapy for the elderly does not only involve post injury rehabilitation, you can also take sessions to prevent any accidents and injuries from happening.
Improve flexibility and strength - as we get older it gets harder to move around and easier to just sit and be sedentary. With physical therapy, you can receive a fitness regimen that is appropriate for your level. Your physical therapist will also teach you how to stretch your muscles and have you lift a dumbbell or two. Stretching your muscles will make it a little bit easier to move, and the building up of strength will help you maintain your current independence.
Improve balance and coordination - falls are the leading cause of injury in the elderly. This is partly because of medication use, cognitive impairments, and sensory deficits. A physical therapist will likely address any balance problems with exercises that are fun, moving, and challenging.
Manage age related issues - old age is associated with emergence of several health conditions that tend to occur only later in life. These are called geriatric syndromes and can be a result of several factors that include falls, cognitive impairment, frailty, hearing loss, and vision issues to name a few.
As we age, we are prone to more sickness, injury, and health conditions.
What are the most common conditions physical therapists handle?
Stroke - one of the most common conditions a PT will handle. With stroke, a part of the brain loses its function and also makes some parts of our body lose function. A PT’s job then is to teach you how to move around using both the good and bad (the one that lost its function) side of the body.
Fractures - remember that falls are the leading cause of injury in seniors? Hip or knee fractures are often a result of a bad fall. Most elderly with fractures often report that they fell from the bed while getting up or slipped in the bathroom. Even before your stress fractures or broken bones are fully healed, your physical therapist will prescribe exercises. These exercises will prevent you from being sedentary while waiting for the injury to fully heal.
Arthritis - arthritis involves swelling and inflammation around the joints. It is painful and usually worsens with age. The goal of therapy is to relieve you of the pain and teach you ways to manage it. Your therapist will also give you tips and strategies to make independent living easier. For example, a PT might have you use a cane to lessen the pain in your knee when walking for long periods.
Hearing that you need therapy can be scary and cause anxiety. It is not uncommon to see apprehension among patients in the clinic, but it helps to know what to expect to calm your nerves.
Here are some of the treatments you can expect:
Cold or Hot compress - if you have stiff muscles and joints, this will help you loosen up. Muscles tend to stiffen or harden when there is pain and swelling, and we need them to relax. We usually use the cold compress to numb a painful area, and we use hot compress to help tense muscles relax.
Electrical Stimulation - this is another way to lessen pain. When electricity is used for pain, a patient will usually feel a comfortable tickling or vibration on the skin which masks the pain for a little while. When a patient has paralysis (such as after a stroke), electrical stimulation is used to reeducate muscles to facilitate and produce movement.
Manual Therapy - this is a physical treatment used to decrease pain and realign joints to improve posture and alignment. As we age, our bodies become stiff, which makes it harder to move. It mostly includes joint mobilization, joint manipulation and massage that helps lessen stiffness.
Exercises - physical therapy is really all about the exercise! There are exercises to address your strength, flexibility, balance and coordination. Exercises are tailored to your needs, diagnosis and current fitness level. It will be hard at first, but you will be happy with the results!
Hydrotherapy - this treatment strategy involves a dip in the pool. It is different than swimming because it still requires you to do a set of exercises. If you have painful joints such as with arthritis, hydrotherapy will help you accomplish the exercises pain-free!
Where can seniors get physical therapy services?
There are a lot of options available! If you suffered an injury or are in the hospital, your doctor will likely refer you to a physical therapist within that hospital. After being discharged, you may still need additional sessions to help you return to normal. You can get outpatient physical therapy services in the same hospital or in a private healthcare clinic. If mobility or transportation is an issue, you can also choose to see your physical therapist in the comfort of your home. Assisted living facilities are also available services for our seniors. In most cases, these facilities already have their own in-house physical therapists that can help you with your symptoms.
Click here for more information about our physical therapy services for seniors-
https://evolveny.com/physical-therapy
About Evolve Physical Therapy in Brooklyn-
Brooklyn's Premier Holistic Physical Therapy Clinics-
There’s physical therapy, there’s training, and then there’s EVOLVE. We use the science of bio-mechanics merged with fitness to help our patients get better and stay better!
First we evaluate, then we heal, then we strengthen our clients so they can reach their goals, feel better, and live happier lives. We do so by utilizing a range of core techniques and specialized treatments to reduce pain, improve mobility, enhance physical strength and deal with the underlying issues, not just the pain itself.
Multiple Locations!
