Are you feeling out of shape but feel like you have some physical obstacles that you need to overcome first? ‘
It takes a lot of motivation to get back in shape after a long period of inactivity.
So, it’s easy to use physical obstacles like loss of mobility, muscle strength, and stamina to put it off exercising and getting fitter until “tomorrow.”
Sadly, however, when this happens repeatedly, tomorrow never comes.
The stiffness, loss of muscle tone, strength, and stamina get even worse, making it even more difficult and easier to put off. It’s a self-fulfilling cycle of pain, mystery, and low self-esteem.
So how can physical therapy help?
The aim of physical therapy is total body wellness, whatever that might be for you – from improving mobility and injury recovery to post-surgical rehabilitation and healing.
At its core, the focus is on body movements and the related science to deal with issues like injury or disability.
It gradually helps you recover your strength and mobility while preventing additional injuries.
But what does that have to do with getting back in shape?
Well, the first step to getting back in shape is getting to the root of what is preventing you from exercising.
For you, it might be chronic pain, lack of mobility, recovering from surgery or healing after childbirth or injury. Perhaps you have pain, but you’re not sure what is causing it.
So, the first step to getting back in shape with physical therapy is diagnosing what is wrong.
Do You Need Physical Therapy?
There are many reasons why you might need to consult with a physical therapist to help you back in shape. These include:
- After you’ve had surgery
- You suffer from muscular strains/spasms
- You have posture-related issues
- You have an injury that impacts your movement and range of motion
- You have chronic pain
- You have muscle weakness/loss of strength
All these issues can prevent you from moving, exercising, losing excess weight, controlling your blood sugar, and getting fit and healthy again.
So, what can you do about it?
The Benefits Of Physical Therapy
(And How We Help You Get In Shape)
- It helps restore movement:
If you face difficulty with your mobility and find it hard to move around or exercise (regardless of age).
You will benefit from physical therapy. We use targeted exercises to help strengthen and tone your muscles and soft tissues and use them in conjunction with stretching movements to help restore your mobility.
If necessary, we may also use a range of assistive devices to support these movements until you are fit/mobile enough to move without this assistance.
In addition, we create a customized regime of exercises for you to do at home that is tailor made for you and your current health and fitness level.
- It helps with pain reduction/elimination:
If you suffer from chronic pain that affects your ability to exercise and stay in shape.
We can reduce and often eliminate your pain using manual physical therapy techniques and therapeutic exercises in conjunction with electrical stimulation/taping/ultrasound.
All these techniques help alleviate chronic pain and restore pain-free movement, so you can start exercising again. - It helps prevent surgical intervention (and reduce your medical expenses):
If you suffer from severe chronic pain. Pain that has severely affected your activity levels and feeling like surgery is now your only option. STOP.
Physical therapy can help and prevent the need for surgery.
Although, even in rare cases when surgery is required – physical therapy before and after the procedure can hasten your recovery time.
- It helps prevent injuries and aids in recovery:
Athletes and sportspeople are always at a higher risk of certain kinds of injuries like ligament damage and broken bones.
So we create individualized physical therapy plans to help you prevent getting injured or recover from sporting injuries faster. So you can return to your favorite sport quicker.
- It helps to restore balance:
One of the most common reasons people cannot participate in exercise and sports is due to balance problems, which makes them more at risk of falls or injuries.
If you have an issue with your balance, we help you overcome it with specific exercises to restore and maintain your balance and increase your confidence, specifically concerning exercise and working out to get in shape.
To do this, we may use assistive devices initially to balance when walking and standing.
In cases where balance problems relate to the vestibular system, we guide you through specific movements to improve your vestibular system’s functioning while reducing symptoms like vertigo and dizziness.
- It helps in stroke recovery:
If you or a loved one has had a stroke and lost mobility or has difficulty moving.
Physical therapy can strengthen the affected muscles and gradually improve balance and walking gait.
In addition, this type of therapy can help you or your loved one become more independent – thus reducing their dependence on friends and relatives.
It can also help with movement and exercise and getting back in shape after a long period of recuperation and inactivity.
- Vascular and diabetic management:
As part of your plan to manage your diabetes, exercise can play a pivotal role in helping to control your blood sugar.
So it’s vital to deal with the physical issues that may be preventing this to protect your future health. People with diabetes tend to suffer from sensory/nerve issues.
As a result, they are prone to severe infections in the legs and feet that can cause pain and discomfort that prevents walking and exercise.
We can advise you on how to take care of your feet to avoid problems in the future and help you exercise to the best of your ability.
- Dealing with heart and lung issues:
If you have heart/lung problems or require cardiac rehabilitation after surgery or an attack, physical therapy is essential.
It helps you get back on your feet and move and exercise again safely. In addition, it’s critical to stay fit and healthy to prevent future problems.
If you have lung problems specifically, physical therapy can help with breathing exercises to increase your lung function and strengthen your entire pulmonary system.
- Degenerative conditions:
With age, sadly, comes a higher incidence of bone and joint-related conditions that can make exercising difficult, like osteoporosis and arthritis.
But – and we can’t stress this enough – prevention is better than cure with these conditions. Good physical therapy can keep these conditions in check and stop them from progressing further so you can stay as fit and healthy as possible long into old age.
If you don’t look after your joints and stay mobile, you may eventually need surgery to replace one or more hips or other joints.
Physical therapy is also hugely beneficial before and after osteoarthritis/joint replacement surgery.
- Gynecological issues:
Women who have gynecological problems after pregnancy or aging find physical therapy beneficial in dealing with a range of female-related medical conditions.
These include pelvic floor disorders and prolapses, urinary stress incontinence, pelvic pain, painful sex, and lymphedema.
How To Select A Physical Therapist To Help You Get Back In Shape
While there is no shortage of physical therapists, finding a physical therapist with the right experience to help you get back in shape after illness, injury or surgery is paramount to getting results.
Some important points to consider when looking for a physical therapist to help you get back in shape:
- Specialization: Physiotherapists differ in their disciplines to treat various body parts, medical conditions, and injuries. If you are looking for a physical therapist to help you overcome physical obstacles, make sure you choose one who specializes in and understands your specific condition.
- Professional certification: As with any medical treatment, you need to consult a therapist with the necessary professional accreditations in your state and treat the condition you need help with. When looking for a physical therapist, always check their qualifications. So you can guarantee that you are getting the best possible treatment.
- Don’t rush your decision: It is always a good idea to talk to the physical therapist first to check they’re a good fit for you. After that, you will be working closely together over several sessions, so it helps if you get along.
At Intecore Physical Therapy, we offer all new patients the opportunity to meet with us at a complimentary Discovery Session before committing to treatment.
You may also choose to chat with a physical therapist on the telephone.
Either way, there is no financial commitment required from you until you’re 100% satisfied that we’re the right physical therapy clinic for you.
Please book your free appointment to find out how we can help you get back in shape here.
