Types of Physical Therapy for Elderly People

Physical Therapy helps in many ways. For Elders in sever conditions, physical therapy helps in-

• Regaining strength
• Relearning how to perform various tasks/movements
• Improving Endurance

According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Physical therapy is the only way that could help avoid surgeries in conditions like Osteoarthritis in the knee, Spinal stenosis, Degenerative disk disease, Torn rotator cuff and Meniscal tears

At Pro Active Physical Therapy (SV Proactive) physical therapist can help you increase your mobility, with reduced pain, gaining confidence to walk without any support. There are lot of severe conditions in which physical therapist helps a lot.

In Arthritis-Physical Therapist will help to restore the use of all your affected joints, will focus on increasing the strength which supports the joints, help in maintain fitness and will also help in performing the daily activities.

Osteoporosis- This condition in Elders can lead to falls. Lot of Elderly people get injuries because of it. A physical therapist works in strengthening muscles in this condition, focuses on maintaining posture which eventually helps the Elderly to regain balance.

Physical therapist helps treat elders with different types of therapy that could help them in living a normal lifestyle. Some of the recommended physical therapy for Elderly are-

Geriatric physical therapy

Geriatric physical therapy places a special emphasis on the needs of aging adults. It helps treat conditions like arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer, joint replacement and balance disorders. Specialized programs are designed to help restore mobility, increase fitness levels and reduce overall pain.

Orthopedic physical therapy

Orthopedic physical therapists helps treat injuries of the musculoskeletal system, as well as help individuals recover from orthopedic surgeries. The goal is to restore function to the muscles, bones, joints, tendons and ligaments.

Cardiopulmonary physical therapy

When individuals have had a heart attack, or have other cardiovascular or pulmonary conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or pulmonary fibrosis, cardiopulmonary physical therapy can help increase endurance and functional independence.

Neurological physical therapy

Neurological physical therapy focuses on the brain and the body, making it slightly different from other types of physical therapy. When individuals have neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, Parkinson’s disease or have suffered a brain injury, a neurological physical therapist focuses on teaching them to adapt to visual, mobility, balance and muscle loss impairments to more easily complete activities of daily living.