Medical Physical Therapy

Physical Therapy Atlanta

Medical physical therapy is a great tool for individuals with a variety of health concerns, injuries, or illnesses. Our staff is made up of a number of medical specialists, including orthopedists, chiropractors, physiotherapists, neurologists, and physical therapist. They all work together, when necessary, to create a comprehensive care plan to help you recover from whatever ailment you’re dealing with. They will offer a variety of treatment options, including non-surgical, non-invasive, and drug-free options. If you need additional treatment, we are equipped to perform arthroscopic surgery and other types of surgery to help you heal and find relief.

Our orthopedic physical therapy services offer our patients natural, manual therapies that can help them heal from a number of health issues in a drug-free way that brings about long-term relief and health. Our staff will begin with diagnostic procedures, such as taking digital X-Rays, doing a CT scan, or doing an MRI. Once we’ve pinpointed the source of your issue, we’ll create a customized treatment plan to help you heal. Medical physical therapy is done when the patient and team of doctors agree not to do surgery on an injury.

What Does Medical Physical Therapy Include?

Your particular situation will dictate the type of orthopedic physical therapy you do. A team of orthopedists, chiropractors, and physical therapists will likely work together to determine the best care plan for you, and they will decide how to proceed with helping you heal. Medical physical therapy may include some basic stretching and strength training, some manual joint manipulation, some massage therapy, or more. It may be a combination of several varieties of physical therapy, or it may focus on just one type of exercise.

When Might I Need Medical Physical Therapy?

Orthopedic physical therapy can benefit a number of people in many ways, but the main reason it is done is to avoid surgery. Medical physical therapy can bring about increased strength in muscles, improved flexibility, better balance, increased range of motion, and more effective healing. You may need medical physical therapy if you’ve been in a car accident or suffered another type of injury that left you with chronic pain or extreme discomfort. Sometimes, muscles need to just be stretched, strengthened, and worked out in order to minimize pain and regain proper use, and medical physical therapy can help with that.

Determining a Plan of Action

Medical physical therapy first begins with an examination conducted by our highly qualified physical therapists at AICA Orthopedics. This examination includes taking a patient’s history, assessing patient movement and utilizing selected diagnostic tests to identify potential or existing problem areas. Based on the findings from this process and goals of each patient, a treatment plan is then created to meet the needs of each and every individual. Physical therapists will provide exercising and intervention treatments to treat pain and injuries. They will also reevaluate your progress as needed and adjust treatment care if necessary until the problem is managed. In general, the evaluation process is similar but may vary based on the specific needs of each person.

Diagnostic Tools for Medical Physical Therapy

Tools such as X-rays, nerve studies, and electromyography can be utilized to give your physical therapist at AICA Orthopedics a more comprehensive and clear picture of your injury. These tools can also help pinpoint the source of pain. X-rays can give doctors a pretty good idea of what is going on inside the body. Do you have a broken bone? Is there a tumor present? Is there joint damage? An MRI, like an X-ray, can also give doctors a better picture but of the soft tissue inside the body. Is there a tear? What does the cartilage between joints look like? Is there any muscle or ligament damage? A CT scan can also be beneficial for locating fracture, tumors, blood clots, or infections of various kinds. If there are other signs or symptoms of bigger problems such as sciatica issues or back pain due to nerve compression, then a physical therapist can utilize nerve testing such as electromyography. Electromyography, or EMG, measures muscle response and nerve stimulation. Needles and electrodes are inserted into the skin and then directly into muscles. Electrical activity is measured through these needles during muscles contractions and also while at rest to find any muscle or nerve dysfunction that may be causing pain. A nerve conduction study, or NCS, can also test nerve function as electrical impulses are sent through a nerve. Sometimes, an EMG and an NCS are done at the same time to locate diseased or damaged muscles or nerves. Overall, diagnostic tools are beneficial for medical PT services as they help physical therapists develop a more specific course of action for your injury. These types of imaging tools can also be beneficial throughout the physical therapy process for reassessing your injury and determining if medical physical therapy is producing the desired results. With our advanced imaging tools at AICA Orthopedics, you are sure to get the very best in treatment care.

Contact AICA Orthopedics for Medical Physical Therapy Services

We believe in treating the whole person, and we believe in getting to the root cause of any issue and dealing with that head-on. We don’t ever want to simply cover up your symptoms with medication or a procedure—we want to truly correct the issue and come beside you in your recovery and healing process. Our team of physical therapists works closely with orthopedic specialists, chiropractors, and other doctors to ensure your safe healing and to bring about optimal health and wellness. To learn more about our medical physical therapy services or to see if you might be a good candidate for our physical therapy, get in touch with AICA Orthopedics today.