Physical therapy is a vital tool in the area of orthopedics and used both before and after surgery. The success of the joint replacement surgery relies heavily on the success of the physical therapy, which is used to get the joint functioning as normally as possible. Without physical therapy the joint would cease up and it would not ever function normally.

Physical therapy consists of gentle specialized exercises and movements designed specifically for each joint and limb. Heat treatments are also incorporated and applied to the affected area. Electric stimulation can also complement physical therapy as also can reflexology.

For people suffering arthritis physical therapy is very useful to keep the patient active and reduce the stiffening that arthritis sufferers have to deal with. The physical therapist can also teach the patient daily exercises to do at home which will reduce the need for doctor’s appointments and pain relief.

Back pain sufferers are also great candidates for physical therapy which has had great success for pain relief and management. Back pain sufferers traditionally took pain killers and learnt to live with the pain. These days with the advances in electro stimulant treatment and other physical therapies, many patients can do without pain killers altogether. This means that they will lead a more healthy and meaningful life, despite having a back problem.

Patients with abnormalities from birth can be helped to function normally with the help of physical therapy. Rigorous sessions have been found to lesson brain defects aiding in the restoration and healing of frozen limbs. Some forms of paralysis are also rectified with physical therapy sessions as the therapy helps to rebuild the neural pathways in the brain that control the movement of the limb. Major advances have been made in this area in recent years and research has new breakthroughs all the time.