Successful injury and chronic pain recovery often include physical therapy
When we get injured or when we’re dealing with a chronic joint condition, our bodies need to heal and recover. And physical therapists are often central to that recovery process.
Physical therapy can be prescribed by your doctor with a conservative treatment plan as one of the steps before surgery or instead of surgery or as part of your post-surgery recovery plan. Our Ortho Illinois Rehabilitation program offers on-site outpatient, orthopedic therapy specializing in physical, occupational, hand, neurological, and work rehabilitation therapy.
With a dozen rehabilitation outpatient locations, Ortho Illinois is the convenient choice for the most successful recovery from an orthopedic injury or condition.
As part of National Physical Therapy Month this October, we’ll dive deeper into common questions about physical therapy and what to expect from this type of care.
How does physical therapy work?
OrthoIllinois physical therapists are trained in the advanced rehabilitation of the upper and lower extremities, as well as the spine.
Some of the common conditions and procedures they treat include:
- Sports injuries
- Work injuries
- Cumulative trauma
- Fractures
- Rotator cuff rupture/repair
- Total joint replacement
- Hip resurfacing
Our physical therapists will work with you as a team to provide the best quality care and to achieve your desired results, whether that’s getting back to an exercise routine that was interrupted by an injury or navigating everyday tasks like walking with less pain.
Physical therapy treatments may include:
- Therapeutic exercise
- Manual therapy
- Soft tissue mobilization
- Electrical stimulation
- Ultrasound
- Traction
- Dry needling
- Taping
- Hot packs and cold packs
The key is that your physical therapy treatment plan is individualized to you based on your recovery needs as determined by you and your doctor.
What are the benefits of physical therapy?
Physical therapy is often a critical step in recovering from bone and joint surgery or an orthopedic injury.
This type of therapy can help rebuild strength and range of motion – think help with bending and moving knees affected by severe arthritis or improving movement in your shoulder after an injury.
Physical therapy is one of the most common nonsurgical treatment options. Most patients who come to OrthoIllinois don’t immediately have surgery. In helping rebuild strength, physical therapy can often postpone the need for surgery or rehab an injury altogether.
Chronic joint pain is another common reason people come to OrthoIllinois. Physical therapy led by trained specialists can improve quality of life for people struggling with pain.
Ultimately, the goal of physical therapy and orthopedic care in general is to get you back to everyday activities without pain and prevent future injury and chronic disease.
Do I need a referral for physical therapy?
In most cases, you do not need a doctor’s referral to be evaluated by a physical therapist.
Many of our patients are introduced to physical therapy through their OrthoIllinois doctor, but others come to us from outside of our organization.
OrthoIllinois participates with most national and local insurance plans. We encourage you to contact your insurance provider at the phone number on the back of your insurance card to verify OrthoIllinois is in network for your plan. Our team can also help you navigate any questions you might have about insurance coverage.
We commonly hear from patients that they wish they would have addressed their bone and joint injury or pain sooner. Start today by learning more about our rehabilitation locations in Algonquin, Belvidere, Crystal Lake, Elgin, Huntley, Machesney Park, McHenry, Rockford, Rockton, and Woodstock or call us at 815-398-9491.
