5 Conditions Physical Therapy Can Treat

Physical therapy can treat more than ACL tears. It can treat headaches, vertigo, and carpel tunnel.

Physical therapy can treat more than ACL tears. It can treat headaches, vertigo, and carpel tunnel.

There are many reasons why someone might want to see a physical therapist. From acute injuries sustained from a car crash to chronic conditions like back pain, physical therapy has been the best alternative for people who don’t want to undergo the knife of surgery. However, there are conditions you might not realize physical therapy can treat. Here are just five conditions physical therapy can help treat.

1. Headaches

Many people reach for the Tylenol bottle when they get a headache. Sometimes, however, taking over-the-counter pain medication can just mask a bigger problem. Chronic headaches can be the cause of poor posture, stress, a neck injury, or muscle tightness. When headaches become common, many people head to their primary care doctor or to a chiropractor. However, physical therapy has been proven to help relieve headaches and even help prevent them in the future. By working to diagnose the cause of the headaches, physical therapists can target exercises – from muscles strengthening to neck exercises and body posture.

2. Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

Carpel tunnel syndrome is becoming more common these days from computer and phone use. Even teenagers are seeing their doctor for pain the fingers due to too much screen time. Physical therapists work with individuals with this type of chronic pain to strengthen the necessary muscles for support. They also work to ensure that the angle of movement is proper to avoid over-stressing the fingers and wrists. In fact, researchers found that patients who sought manual therapy as opposed to surgery for carpel tunnel had a more successful recovery.

3. Urinary Incontinence

It’s mostly common in women and is caused by many factors – pregnancy and childbirth are just two major causes. It’s also an embarrassing topic for many women. However, physical therapy has been proven to help with this by working to strengthen the transverse abdominal muscles that help control the bladder.

4. Vertigo

Many people don’t think about how physical therapy can help with dizziness, vertigo, and other eyesight problems. In fact, many people don’t even realize that you can strengthen your eyes, which can help with dizziness and vertigo. Often the result of a head injury, vertigo can be very debilitating. However, by retraining and strengthening the eyes through targeted exercises, physical therapy can be a very effective treatment.

Physical Therapy Treats More Than Athletes

 

Even though most people think of physical therapists treating athletes, it’s much more than sports injury rehabilitation. From treating chronic conditions like arthritis and carpal tunnel to acute injuries like ACL tears, physical therapy can be the answer to solving your pain problems.