Specializations of St. Louis Physical Therapists

If you can’t move your hand or if you’re getting on in years and are experiencing the effects of age on your mobility, the doctor might ask you to go visit a physical therapist. Physical therapists can help you regain your freedom of movement. But what are physical therapists exactly and what do they do?

A physical therapist is someone who knows their way around the human body well enough to manipulate it and correct dysfunctions, especially those that affect a person’s movement or cause localized pain. These people utilize their unique set of skills by developing techniques based on your particular problem in an attempt to correct it. Physical therapists have specializations; make sure that you know which one will work best for you.

Orthopedic Physical Therapy

A St. Louis physical therapist with this specialization can diagnose and treat problems related to a person’s musculoskeletal system. For example, if you’ve just been through an operation, if you’re recovering from a sports injury, or if one or more of your limbs were recently amputated due to the onset of a disease, an orthopedic physical therapist is who you see. A therapist would use joint mobilization techniques, hot packs, strength training, and other strategies to restore your mobility.

Geriatric Physical Therapy

The term ‘geriatric’ refers to the normal aging process, and a geriatric physical therapist concentrates on the effects of aging on the human body. Issues like arthritis, cancer, osteoporosis, incontinence, and other age-related problems are diagnosed and treated by a geriatric physical therapist. Treatments would be personalized depending on your needs for faster recovery.

Neurological Physical Therapy

A St Louis physical therapist that specializes in neurological issues would be the one to go to if you have neurological disorders or diseases. Examples would be Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, a stroke, and a brain injury. Issues that might result from these diseases and instances could be vision impairment, loss of balance, or paralysis.

Pediatric Physical Therapy

For those who want to prevent future motor problems in their kids, you can bring them to a St Louis physical therapist that specializes in children. These people diagnose, treat, and manage any problems that might be detected in infants, small children, and adolescents. Children with disorders such as cerebral palsy are also handled by pediatric physical therapists.

If you think you need to go visit a St. Louis physical therapist, it would be better if you talk to your doctor first so they can refer you to a reputable therapist that specializes in your needs. For more information, you can visit physicaltherapy.about.com/od/typesofphysicaltherapy/a/typesofpt.htm or health.com/health/library/topic/0,,zt1045_zt1074,00.html.

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