Overview
Physical rehabilitation ranks among the most effective ways to take care of serious workplace injuries. The best thing about it is that workers’ compensation covers such treatments in New York. This is simply because officials are aware that physical therapy is among the best worker’s compensation injury treatment options in the United States.
The primary purpose of physical rehabilitation therapy in hospitals, nursing homes, or other settings is to help regain and restore the pain-free and comfortable mobility and overall health that a person was used to before sustaining an injury, illness, or disability.
To realize this, physical therapists, also called physiatrists, design and monitor a planned program that uses holistic approaches. The main goal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) therapists is to restore overall physical health, quality of life, and physical function to the patient, while simultaneously diminishing the risk of illness or injury in the future. Physical therapy can help people of all ages with a wide range of underlying medical conditions.
You can find licensed physical therapists in New York from different healthcare settings, such as private hospitals, rehab centers, schools, residential settings, research centers, government agencies, sports and fitness institutions, and home health.
What should be your expectations from a physical therapist?
The main goal of a physical therapist is to take care of patients throughout all the healing phases. The initial phase involves an assessment so that your therapists can start becoming familiar with you and your current condition. Physical therapy can be a standalone option or a combination of other treatments.
In some instances, your physician may refer you to a physical therapist, but some patients prefer to seek therapy independently.
Irrespective of the way you approach a physical therapist, here are the things you should expect:
- Go through a thorough physical examination and evaluation. This includes your health history through certain testing processes, including posture evaluation, an assessment of movement and flexibility, and the performance of your muscles and joint movement.
- You will be issued a clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and care plan involving both short-term and long-term goals.
- Based on the therapist’s diagnosis and evaluation, you will be given physical therapy treatment and intervention.
- Your physical therapist will serve you with personal-management recommendations.
Patients typically train with the help of a physical therapist or occupational therapist in workouts that they can regularly perform at home to help in the effective restoration of their physical function.
Common treatable conditions through physical rehabilitation
Based on their specialty, experienced physical therapists can treat different medical conditions. Some examples of conditions that can be treated through physical rehabilitation include:
- Cardiovascular conditions, including cystic fibrosis (CF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), post-myocardial infarction (MI), and other heart problems.
- Hand therapy for conditions like arthritis, tendonitis, tendon tear or injuries, peripheral nerve disorder, some neurological conditions, fracture or dislocations, carpal tunnel syndrome, and crush injuries.
- Musculoskeletal dysfunction including back pain, spinal cord injury, temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ), and rotator cuff tears.
- Neurological disorders including Parkinson’s disease, stroke, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, and vestibular dysfunction.
- Sports injuries including spine injury, tennis elbow, and concussion.
- Pediatric conditions, such as cerebral palsy, retarded development, and muscle wasting.
- Women’s health and pelvic floor conditions, including lymphedema and incontinence.
Physical rehabilitation therapy can improve other conditions, including wound care, burns, diabetic ulcers, vertigo, headaches, osteoporosis, and cervical spine/neck conditions.
Advantages of physical therapy
Physical therapy provided by Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) physicians offers several benefits based on the condition being treated, which include:
- Eliminate and reduce pain
- Prevent surgery
- Improve mobility
- Recovery from stroke or paralysis
- Recover from and prevent sport-related injury
- Improved balance and help prevent fall
- Manage diabetes and vascular conditions
- Manage and control age-related medical conditions
- Manage lung and heart disease
- Recovery from trauma or injury
- Manage women’s health and menopausal conditions
If you are an athlete, a sports therapist’s treatment plan can help you maximize your performance. S/he will train you to strengthen specific parts of your body by using your muscles in new ways.
A physical rehabilitation therapist or a healthcare provider can advise you about the benefits particular to your personal medical history and the need for your treatment.
Different types of physical therapies
There are different types of therapies that can be used to treat a wide range of conditions. These include:
Orthopedic Physical Therapy
Orthopedic physical therapists help to diagnose, treat and manage injuries and disorders associated with the musculoskeletal system. They also assist patients in recovering from orthopedic surgery. This profession of physical therapy is commonly found in the outpatient setting. It is suitable for conditions like sprains, fractures, chronic medical illnesses, tendonitis, and bursitis. In addition, patients may be put under treatment with other modalities, such as manual therapy, joint mobilizations, mobility training, and strength training.
Neurological Physical Therapy
This form of physical therapy can treat people with neurological problems, including brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis. In addition, treatment aims to reduce muscle atrophy, increase limb responsiveness, and treat paralysis.
Geriatric Physical Therapy
This form of treatment is suitable for aged patients with conditions that impair their physical function and mobility. Such conditions include Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, hip, joint replacement, osteoporosis, arthritis, incontinence, and loss of balance. This type of intervention helps to reduce pain, restore mobility, and enhance overall physical wellbeing.
Pediatric Physical Therapy
This form helps detect, diagnose, treat, and manage health problems of infants, children, and adolescents, such as injuries, disorders, retarded growth, and other diseases that affect joints, bones, and muscles. In addition, this treatment plan aims to improve balance, coordination, motor skills, strength, endurance, sensory and cognitive processing, and integration.
Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Therapy
Cardiovascular and pulmonary cognitive physical rehabilitation treat some conditions in people with cardiopulmonary disorders and those who have undergone pulmonary surgery. The primary goal of this physical rehabilitation therapy is to increase endurance and functional independence. For example, patients who have had a heart attack can work with a cardio/pulmonary physical therapy specialist in their cardiac rehab program. This may involve occupational therapy during workouts with the assistance of occupational therapists.
Wound Care Therapy
This helps to ensure that a wound is receiving enough oxygen and blood supply by improving circulation. Physical therapy can include electric stimulation, manual treatments, compression therapy, and wound care.
Vestibular Therapy
This physical rehabilitation therapy targets the treatment of imbalance problems that are related to inner ear conditions. Vestibular physical therapy comprises different exercises and manual tactics to help patients regain their normal coordination and balance.
Decongestive Therapy
This therapy helps drain fluid in patients suffering from lymphedema and other conditions that lead to fluid accumulation in the body.
Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation Therapy
This form of rehabilitation therapy addresses problems related to fecal and urinary incontinence. It treats pelvic pain and urinary urgency in both men and women, triggered by injuries, surgeries, or other conditions.
Other than physical manipulation, physical therapy treatment can be combined with other modalities, which include:
- Electronic stimulation: Topical use of electrodes on the skin to ease pain and boost functional capabilities.
- Phonophoresis: Deploys ultrasound to deliver some medications, such as steroids, to decrease inflammation and improve muscle and joint conditions.
- Ice, moist heat, and heat therapy
- Speech therapy: Performed by language therapists, especially in children with speech problems.
Planning a visit to physical therapists
If you are coping with workplace-related injuries, it is crucial to visit a physical rehab or consult a physical therapy expert as soon as possible. The good news is that New York residents have no-fault laws in place that help cater to medical expenses, such as workplace accidents, irrespective of whoever was responsible.
The services offered at a physical rehabilitation can, in most cases, be covered by no-fault insurance, but only if you take the necessary steps immediately. You shouldn’t hesitate even if you have other underlying medical conditions.
Who is covered for physical therapy treatment?
You should have documentation of a visit to healthcare providers within 30 days of the initial accident for you to be covered in a workplace-related injury about the New York state law. Workers’ compensation insurance companies cover social workers who sustain an injury due to work-related accidents. This type of insurance is compulsory in New York State, and all employers should carry a workers’ comp policy to cover their employees. Ensure that you’re treating the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) physician with authorization from NYS Workers’ Compensation Board (NYS WCB). You can consult government agencies to find out all licensed physical rehab or other therapists in New York.
Contact us for your treatment and physical rehabilitation for accident-related injuries like whiplash, back injury, neck injury, bone fractures sciatica, herniated disc, headaches, joint pain, sports injuries, or work-related injuries,
Don’t leave your health and wellbeing to chance; call (888) 590-4030 for the right workers’ comp doctor in NY!