5 Treatment Modalities Your Physical Therapist Might Consider for Treating Your Injury

If you're considering physical therapy or if your doctor has recommended that you see a physical therapist, you may be wondering what to expect. Exercise is an important part of therapy, but there are other types of treatment you may receive. Even if you do exercises, they are often different from exercises you do when working out, since a physical therapist targets the exercises to specific muscles and joints.

Here are five treatments your physical therapist might provide depending on your medical problem.

1. Electrical Stimulation

Electrical stimulation in physical therapy is done in two ways. One method targets nerves in an effort to control pain. The other method targets skeletal muscles. The physical therapist places electrodes over the injured area and directs electrical current to your muscle. This causes your muscle to contract. This therapy improves blood flow to the area to speed healing and it also strengthens weak muscles, especially if you're unable to exercise them yourself.

2. Laser Treatments

Laser treatments can help with some conditions and injuries. Your therapist might apply a laser device to your spine if you have chronic back pain. Lasers help with pain because they have an anti-inflammatory effect. Plus, lasers increase circulation, and the extra blood flow sends nutrients to the tissues that are needed for healing injuries. Laser treatments can also accelerate cellular growth, which is beneficial when you have an injury and you need to grow new tissues to repair damaged muscles, tendons, or ligaments.

3. Ultrasound Therapy

Ultrasound treatments can also help with recovery from an injury and reduce pain. The ultrasound device sends sound waves deep below the skin to heat up tissues. This increases circulation in your ligaments and connective tissue so healing occurs faster.

4. Traction

Some injuries respond to traction. A physical therapist uses computerized machines to provide traction that opens your spinal cord to relieve pressure on a compressed nerve. You may wear a vest or belt so the machine can stretch your body to open an injured joint. The therapist can work on your lumbar region, spine, or neck to decompress a painful nerve.

5. Short Wave Diathermy

Heat is an important tool for healing in physical therapy. Your therapist might give you short wave diathermy treatments that are provided by a machine that utilizes electromagnetic energy to heat up your muscle tissues and joints. The benefit of applying heat with a machine is that the heat can be sent deeper into your body than with other types of heat treatments such as moist heat or dry heating pads.

For more helpful treatments, visit a physical therapist if you are in Brick, NJ; Toms River, NJ, and the surrounding areas.