Importance of Physical Therapy for Older Adults

Physical therapy plays a significant role in delivering health care to patients. It is meant to help prevent declines, maximize function, reduce pain, and treat physical diseases. And because seniors tend to have reduced physical abilities, they can easily experience a decline. Bed rest and inactivity because of an illness can cause or intensify the weakness of the muscles, leading to walking issues and function loss.

Benefits of Physical Therapy for Seniors

A senior who has been impaired because of an injury or illness will find it challenging to continue to live independently. A physical therapist will develop a person-centered treatment plan to help the patient get back to his active lifestyle. Physical therapy can benefit seniors in many ways such as:

• Minimizing the risk of falls. For seniors, falls are a common occurrence which can lead to fracture and other life-threatening injuries. Physical therapists from Comfort and Care Health Services LLC utilize different extension exercises which emphasize strength, flexibility, and proper gait to decrease a senior’s risk of falls.
• Decreasing the risk of infections. Inactive elderly people are at a higher risk of developing skin issues or getting pneumonia. Physical therapy helps them gain back their strength so they can be active again and avoid possible complications due to a lack of movement.
• Treating pain. Physical therapy is a cost-effective way to treat chronic pain because it doesn’t require the patient to spend money on expensive medicines or surgeries.

Chronic Conditions Physical Therapy can Treat

Seniors are at risk of developing chronic illnesses. Physical therapy can help elderly people manage different chronic illnesses including the following:

• Parkinson’s disease. This disease usually impacts people who are at least 65 years old. While the disease is irreversible and progressive, physical therapy and medication can help in improving the patient’s trunk flexibility and reducing the involuntary movements that come with the disease.
• Arthritis. People who are 65 years old and older may experience some form of arthritis that may exist without pain or symptoms. A physical therapy makes use of techniques meant to relieve any discomfort associated with arthritis or prevent any pain which may occur in the future because of the disease.
• Incontinence. A physical therapist works with older adults to determine specific muscle issues and teach them how to use these muscles correctly. The therapist can assign pelvic exercises which will increase the strength of the muscle which controls the patient’s bladder.
• Stroke. Aging people who have suffered a stroke often experience a loss of muscle strength on a certain side of the body. Our Home Health Agency in Chillicothe Ohio has physical therapists who treat this symptom by using constraint-induced movement therapy. This involves restraining the good limb and letting the person concentrate on strength training for his weaker limb. Also, the therapist stimulates the brain part which controls movement to restore the affected limb’s proper function.

If you need a physical therapist to treat you at home, call us at 740-773-0063. We look forward to the opportunity of helping you get your mobility and independence back.