We often think of physical therapy after a sports injury or an accident such as a car wreck or a fall. While Premier Physical Therapy sees many patients who need help after an injury or accident, we also help many elderly patients to enjoy far greater mobility and strength. Below is 3 Ways Physical Therapy Can Benefit Seniors Today.
Orthopedic Care After a Fall or Injury
The statistics are sobering: About 1 in 4 Americans over 65 will experience a major fall each year. These falls often result in broken bones, including fractured hips. While the resulting injury may require surgery or considerable time to heal, physical therapy becomes invaluable to achieve greater mobility and speed up the recovery process.
Our skilled team at Premier is well trained in anatomy and the musculoskeletal system. We see many patients who receive a treatment plan that is personalized to your pain and designed to improve your function. Whether your injury is recent or if it’s been nagging you after several months or years, our professionals will work with you until the pain finally goes away.
Active Movement to Build up Strength
Sometimes there are instances when a senior might be hospitalized due to a prolonged illness, surgery or an injury, it’s the excessive time spent in the hospital bed or even at home laying down after discharge that makes it far worse.
Your body needs active movement. Spending days or weeks lying in a hospital bed with little to no movement becomes hard on your body. You would typically see your joints become stiffer, muscles tighter, and your balance may be unsteady.
Help Managing Chronic Pain
We believe some of the toughest individuals are the elderly who live with constant pain. Morning, noon and night, they fight through the pain caused by osteoarthritis or another chronic affliction. Living with pain negatively affects their quality of life. Too often this constant pain causes the elderly to sacrifice hobbies they love. Cooking, needlepoint and woodwork are difficult when your hands always hurt.
The solutions available to younger men and women won’t always benefit seniors. Seniors aren’t always good candidates for surgery and sometimes pain medicine may be too strong or may react with other medications.
Therefore, physical therapy is one of the best options to fight chronic pain. A proven physical therapy plan can help seniors in regain flexibility, strength and balance while minimizing pain.
At Premier Physical Therapy our patient-focused team provides an easier, less intrusive and even fun way for seniors to get their lives back.
We offer a Premier 5-Star Plan that’s ideal for seniors. It starts with a thorough examination. After pinpointing your exact injury, we prescribe a personalized treatment plan. Your personalized plan consists of one-on-one treatment.
Over time — whether it’s weeks or months — we create progress surveys so you know just how close you are to healing, gaining mobility and becoming pain-free. Finally, we suggest preventative care so you can stay healthy and injury-free for years to come!
If you are a senior or with an injury, living with chronic pain or needs help with incontinence or other issues that restrict your mobility and quality of life, we invite you to meet our friendly Premier Team — the best physical therapists in Southeast Missouri.