types of physical therapy

What are the five types of physical therapy?

Neurological Physical Therapy

Neurological physical therapy seeks to restore functional mobility, strength, balance, and coordination in patients suffering from neurological conditions that impair their quality of life and ability to move. Neurological physical therapy can aid in the recovery from neurological injuries as well as the prevention of the progression and deterioration of chronic neurological conditions. 

Neurological Physical Therapy​

Neurological physical therapy is designed to help patients with brain and spinal cord conditions such as stroke, spinal cord injury, and Parkinson’s disease function as effectively as possible. Neurological physical therapy can be done in a hospital, a private practice physical therapy clinic, a doctor’s office, a rehabilitation facility, or home.

Process of Neurological Physical Therapy

If you require it, you can receive it either inpatient or outpatient. Inpatient therapy is in a hospital or rehabilitation center, where you will spend the night. Outpatient treatment is typically provided in physical therapy clinics or outpatient rehabilitation centers. 

The severity of your neurological condition will determine whether you require inpatient or outpatient physical therapy.

You will have a physical exam after your physical therapist has gathered enough information about your medical history during your initial evaluation. The therapist will assess your muscle strength, coordination, range of motion, reflexes, and arm and leg muscle tone.  

Your public attention, cognition, and sensation level will also be evaluated to see if your neurological condition has affected these areas.

Your physical therapist will then assess your ability to perform transfers, which are transitions from one position to another, such as lying down or standing up to sitting. The therapist will note whether you can perform these movements on your own or if you require assistance.

Your initial evaluation will also include an assessment of your balance, gait quality (how you walk), and whether you require physical therapy assistance. Depending on the severity of your neurological condition, your therapist may provide you with or recommend that you purchase an assistive device to help you walk. 

Neurological tests, such as following moving objects with your eyes, touching your finger to your nose, and rapidly alternating movements, may also be performed by your physical therapist to assess your coordination.

Occupational Physical Therapy

Occupational therapists work with people to adapt, modify, or change daily activities they require or want to do. OTs may accomplish this by changing the action, the environment, or the person’s skills. An OT may help patients improve their fine motor skills based on their skill level. Fine motor skills are small movements performed with your upper body.

Many daily activities require them, such as picking up a toothbrush and brushing your teeth, cutting food with a fork and knife, getting dressed, using a smartphone, or driving. For patients with mental health issues, occupational therapy may improve skills by increasing positive coping strategies that allow the patient to work or succeed in school.

Process of Occupational Therapy

 The Occupational Therapy process includes screening, evaluation, and intervention. It is divided into three stages: screening, evaluation, and intervention, each with its challenges. Understanding the various elements of the occupational therapy process and how they interact is critical when designing an effective intervention strategy for a specific patient population. 

  • The first stage is the screening stage. Occupational therapy clients are referred to the clinic for various issues, such as pain and disability, musculoskeletal conditions, cognitive impairments, and mental health issues. As a result, screening involves determining whether a patient has a shape and identifying the specific need. It also includes assessing the patient’s interest in participating in occupational therapy interventions and identifying their abilities. The most common screening method is to conduct a physical examination. This exam may include limited movement analysis, muscle strength, endurance, and sensory function testing.
  • After gathering information about a patient’s functional capacity, interest in participating in an intervention, and motivation to take action, the next stage is completed. Data collection during this phase is for understanding the overall impact of the intervention. This phase also considers the patient’s ability to respond to the intervention. It is the stage at which the patient’s functional capacity and ability to manage in their environment are assessed. It is also necessary to determine the patient’s willingness to participate in the intervention and their understanding of the procedure and approach. Furthermore, the therapist must assess the patient’s motivation to act and overall ability to maintain interest and progress in a given environment.
  • Finally, the intervention stage of the evaluation process entails devising a strategy to address the patient’s pain and associated symptoms. This stage may include the following elements:
  1. Identifying the root cause of pain and whether it is related to a medical condition.
  2. Choosing the best therapy based on the source of the pain.
  3. Identifying whether or not other symptoms accompany the pain.

Geriatric Physical Therapy

Geriatric physical therapy is a type of physical therapy that is designed specifically for older adults and their unique issues and challenges. Geriatric physical therapy recognizes that as people age, they become less active, lose muscle strength, coordination, and reaction time, and lower physical activity tolerance.

Geriatric physical therapy differs from other types of physical therapy in that it focuses on developing strength and endurance in older adults to help them in the following ways:

  • Staying active
  • Avoiding deconditioning (reversal of previous conditioning)
  • Keeping Muscles Young (the wasting away of muscles)
  • Reducing the risk of falls and associated injuries
  • Keeping one’s independence in daily activities

Pediatric Physical Therapy

Pediatric physical therapy, also known as physiotherapy or simply PT, is a medical specialty that assists children and adolescents with movement issues. These problems are often caused by illnesses, injuries, or congenital disabilities but can also be due to other reasons. Pediatric physical therapy is the equivalent of a similar field of treatment used to achieve the same goal in adult patients.

Physical therapy is generally required for patients in pain and with limited mobility or function of various body parts. Depending on the problem being treated, the treatment can be either short-term or long-term. If the injury is minor, a few sessions of PT can help the patient recover completely. In contrast, problems caused by a disease or significant debilitating injury may necessitate long-term treatment and management.

Pediatric physical therapy is similar to physical therapy, with the only difference being the age of the patient; pediatric PT is explicitly designed to cater to the needs of:

  • Infants
  • Children
  • Adolescents

Physical therapy for children focuses on several types of conditions. Congenital, developmental, neuromuscular, orthopedic, skeletal, and acquired diseases are illustrations.

Rehabilitative Physical Therapy

Major surgeries frequently impair the movement and movement of the affected body parts. Rehabilitative physical therapy is a type of physical therapy that focuses on the recovery of patients from these surgeries. The emergence of this physical therapy starts while the patient is still in the hospital until the patient is discharged.

However, most rehabilitative physical therapy occurs at home while the patient is recovering. This therapy ends only when the patient regains full mobility of the affected part. When patients can care for themselves without assistance, the treatment ends.

Athletes and bodybuilders commonly use this type of physical therapy after being injured. The sooner they start, the better and faster their recovery will be.

Final Words

Although there are various types of physical therapy for multiple situations, they all work flawlessly. Physical therapy can help you whether you’re injured, recovering from surgery, or getting older. You must, however, first ensure that you hire the right people for your physical therapy. 

Contact us today for professional and experienced Physical Therapy.