Physical therapy has many benefits, such as helping you regain mobility, reducing pain, restoring functionality, and preventing disability. However, as you age, you may experience more muscle pain, joint damage, and even arthritis, completely part of the aging process. Furthermore, your bones will not remain the same as how they were when you were younger (although everyone wishes they would). Over time, with all the activity we do daily, our bones start to become weak.
Physical therapy is a vital part of aging well, and it’s available if you’re receiving skilled home care services. Continue reading on why physical therapy is essential for Alaska’s elders, what the benefits are, and how you can get started to feel relieved and rejuvenated.
Interested in receiving physical therapy services? Contact our office.
Why Physical Therapy Is Important for Elders
As mentioned previously, over time, our bones, joints, and muscles don’t function the way they used to. That is due to putting wear and tear on your body, like performing strenuous activity throughout the years; this includes anything from putting away groceries, lifting heavy items or boxes, or just even using your strength to stand and sit every day.
If you notice any muscle pain, joint damage or think you are developing arthritis, solutions and treatments can help alleviate the pain you are experiencing. Physical activity and exercise are extremely beneficial to you and your health, which is why so many doctors and nutritionists recommend daily exercise, even if it’s just going for a nice walk around the park.
According to John Hopkins medicine, maintaining physical activity can help the heart and prevent common diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Just doing a little bit of exercise daily will:
- Lower your blood pressure
- Maintaining a healthy body weight
- Works to reduce inflammation
- Improves blood flow
- Increased amount of oxygen
- Reduces stress
- And more
Physical therapy can even help against injuries. Suppose you injured your back or sprained your ankle. In that case, physical therapy can help alleviate the pain you are having with the assistance of trained professionals who understand which pressure points to hit, exercises that will benefit you the most, and stretches that prevent the pain from coming back.
The Benefits of Physical Therapy
Physical therapy serves many benefits because it helps you get back on your feet and feel independent again. Why suffer through the pain and worry whether you might not be able to do a particular activity ever again. Tackle your issues and get back to feeling like yourself again.
For example, if someone injured their back and never got the treatment they needed, would they go back and change it? Of course. Once you understand you don’t need to “live with it,” you would do whatever it took to fix it.
You ever wonder why the elderly talk so much about their past? Who wouldn’t want to go back to their younger days? That’s when they didn’t have to worry about “getting old” and the back and knee pain they have to put up with now. Back then, they knew they didn’t have to worry about any of that stuff because their bones were in the best condition and shape, they could ever be in.
Well, you don’t have to feel like you’re going to suffer forever. That is why physical therapy is here to help your bones stay strong, and you are getting as much exercise as possible. Check out the many benefits of physical therapy.
Physical Therapy Prevents Disease
That is correct; as we mentioned previously, physical activity and a daily dose of exercise decrease the risk of many common diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. This is because when you work out and exercise, you are improving the blood flow and airflow throughout your body, you’re sweating out toxins, and you’re building muscle.
Boosts Your Mental Health
Ever hear the saying, “let exercise be your stress reliever”? It’s true. Physical therapy can help reduce anxiety, depression, and stress. But, when you get done with your exercise routine, how do you feel? You leave feeling refreshed, more motivated, and you feel good about the work you just put in. Does it make you feel happy, almost like you’re buzzing from how well you performed? Thank your endorphins. Your brain releases these hormones after you work out or get done with your physical therapy session.
Physical Therapy Decreases Your Risk of Falling
If you aren’t physically active, the older you get, the more you are prone to falls. This is because when the bones become feeble, it’s often possible for your legs or knees to give out, causing you to fall and severely injure yourself. Physical therapy can be a great outlet to seek help to keep your bones and joints strong and long-lasting.
How You Can Get Started
Physical therapy is available for everyone and is easily accessible and is an excellent resource more people should take advantage of. Take on something new or something you’ve never done before that you may have wanted to for a while. Let’s face it, our bodies can never go back to how they were when you were younger, but you can work back to getting as close as possible with the help of physical therapy.
Physical therapy can be full of positivity and a natural mood booster, especially when seeing results. For example, suppose you are having a difficult time bending down to pick something up. It feels like your back may give out at any moment; physical therapy can get you feeling normal within a couple of weeks to a couple of months. In that case, you will be able to bend down without the same pain you were experiencing before.
Getting started is easy. You have to want to do it and once you can get yourself to begin actively going a couple of times a week or even just once is a huge step, and you will be able to see improvements almost immediately.
Want to learn more? Get in touch with us.
Get Going With WellSpring Home Health
WellSpring Home Health offers quality home care from reliable professionals. Our goal is to help Alaska’s seniors live safely and comfortably in your home. Our team of experts are dedicated to making sure you receive the personalized care you need and with the courtesy and respect, you deserve.
At WellSpring Home Health, we offer physical therapy through our skilled home care services. We have physical therapists who are trained and certified professionals who will be able to develop a plan by, of course, working with your physicians’ orders. Our physical therapists can come right to your home, so you don’t have to worry about transportation. Their work includes:
- Performing a movement and joint motion analysis
- Developing therapeutic exercise programs
- Training to help coordination and balance
- Mobility assistance
- Pain management
- And more.
We also offer many other services such as skilled home care, veteran services, and even pediatric services. So, if you are interested in getting started on your journey to experience greatness again, we have the right tools, resources, and experienced staff members to help you get back on track and feeling good again.
Want to get started? Contact us to set up an assessment.