World PT Day: Physical Therapy Is for More Than Injuries

When you hear “physical therapy,” what comes to mind?

For many people, it’s recovering from surgery or getting back on the field after a sports injury. While those are certainly important parts of physical therapy, PT can support movement, strength, mobility, and function throughout the lifespan — from infancy through adulthood.

In honor of World PT Day, we’re highlighting just a few of the ways physical therapists can help.

Infants: Torticollis & Early Motor Development

Physical therapy can begin surprisingly early!

Pediatric PTs may work with babies who have torticollis, a condition in which an infant has tightness in the neck that can result in a head tilt or preference for looking in one direction.

PT may also be appropriate when an infant is having difficulty developing early motor skills such as:

• Head and trunk control

• Rolling

• Sitting independently

• Crawling

• Pulling to stand

• Walking

A physical therapist can evaluate how a child moves, identify areas of weakness or difficulty, and develop activities to support motor development.

Children: Strength, Balance, Coordination & Gross Motor Skills

As children grow, physical therapy can address many different movement and mobility needs.

A pediatric PT may work with children who have difficulty with:

• Balance and coordination

• Strength and endurance

• Running and jumping

• Stairs

• Walking patterns

• Gross motor skills

• Mobility and participation in everyday activities

PT may also be part of the care team for children with developmental, orthopedic, genetic, or neurological conditions that affect movement and mobility.

⚽ Young Athletes: Sports Injuries & Returning to Activity

Kids and teens get injured too.

Physical therapists can help young athletes recover from sprains, strains, fractures after medical clearance, overuse injuries, and other orthopedic conditions.

But the goal isn't simply to make the pain go away.

PT can address strength, flexibility, balance, movement patterns, and functional skills needed for a safe return to sports and other activities.

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy

This is an area of PT that many people don't realize exists.

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that helps support the bladder, bowel, and pelvic organs. Pelvic floor physical therapists have additional training to evaluate and treat problems involving these muscles and surrounding structures.

Depending on an individual's needs, pelvic floor PT may help address concerns such as urinary leakage, pelvic pain, bowel or bladder dysfunction, pregnancy and postpartum changes, and weakness or difficulty coordinating the pelvic floor muscles.

These concerns are common, but that doesn't mean you simply have to live with them.

Parkinson's Disease & Neurological Conditions

Physical therapy can also play an important role for individuals living with Parkinson's disease and other neurological conditions.

For someone with Parkinson's disease, PT may focus on areas such as:

• Walking and gait

• Balance and fall prevention

• Strength

• Flexibility

• Posture

• Transfers and functional mobility

• Maintaining participation in everyday activities

Treatment is individualized based on each person's abilities, challenges, and goals.

Physical Therapy Across the Lifespan

One of the things we love about physical therapy is just how broad it can be.

A PT might help a baby learn to move more symmetrically, help a child develop the strength to keep up on the playground, help a teenage athlete return to their sport, help an adult address pelvic floor concerns, or help someone with Parkinson's disease maintain mobility and independence.

Different ages. Different goals. The common thread is helping people move and function at their best.

At Innovative Therapy Center in Uniontown, Ohio, physical therapy is part of our multidisciplinary approach alongside occupational therapy, speech and feeding therapy, and mental health counseling.

This World PT Day, we're celebrating physical therapists and the many ways they help people move, participate, and keep doing the things that matter to them.

Wondering if physical therapy might be appropriate for you or your child? Contact Innovative Therapy Center to learn more about our physical therapy services.