5 Reasons Physical Therapy is So Beneficial for Healing

Pain and injury can really take a toll on your quality of life. Many people with pain and injuries think their only choices for treating them are taking pills or suffering. Fortunately, there are other options that can really make a difference in relieving pain and helping your body to heal.

Whether you have chronic pain or are recovering from an injury, physical therapy is the key that can help you recover. Physical therapy is more than just exercise; it actually helps your body heal. Dr. Dinash Yanamadula shares these five reasons physical therapy is so beneficial for healing. 

1. It provides effective pain management.

Physical therapy provides effective pain management without the addictive potential of opioid painkillers. When you’re in pain, you may not feel much like moving, but doing so will help you recover faster. 

Physical therapy uses a variety of techniques, including stretching/warming up, low-impact exercise, and strengthening activities. Because many forms of physical therapy treatment increase blood flow, it reduces inflammation and as a result, it also helps your body heal faster. 

2. It helps you get stronger.

Pain often has a vicious cycle: the more you hurt, the less likely you are to move. But while this feels better in the short term, it creates long-term problems. The less you use your muscles, the weaker they become, a condition called atrophy.

Physical therapy helps you strengthen your muscles again. When your muscles are stronger, they give you the ability to do more without risk of further injury. This is especially useful after any kind of serious injury, but can also help chronic conditions like fibromyalgia. 

3. It’s non-invasive.

Surgery is often presented as the only option after many injuries or in response to chronic back pain. But surgery is invasive and requires a long recovery time, which many people understandably feel reluctant to face. 

Physical therapy is a non-invasive, conservative approach to managing injuries and chronic pain. As you get stronger and your joints become more mobile, it naturally helps your body to work better. 

4. It improves your balance and coordination.

After an injury or even as we get older, sometimes our balance and coordination decline. This can put you at a higher risk of further injuries, including falls. Sometimes these injuries can be quite serious.

Physical therapy helps you improve your sense of balance and coordination. When one part of your body is injured, it affects surrounding tissues, ligaments, and muscles. The modalities used in physical therapy help to address your whole body as a system. 

5. It improves the stability and function of your joints.

After an injury or chronic pain condition, our joints can become unstable and inflexible. You may notice that sometimes your joints feel particularly stiff or swollen upon resting for a long period. This is often a sign that your joints are unstable.

Physical therapy helps to stabilize your joints, making them function more effectively. You can reduce issues like hyper flexibility as well as stiff joints. This keeps you more pain-free and stable when you’re in motion. 

But it’s not only people who are injured or suffer from chronic pain who can benefit. Physical therapy can help a wide variety of health conditions, including arthritis, degenerative joint disease, tendinitis, and whiplash. If you are dealing with any of the above conditions, call the Princeton Pain and Spine Institute at 609-308-3589 or request an appointment online.