Benefits of Physical Therapy

Benefits of Physical Therapy



Pain-free movement is crucial to your quality of life, your ability to earn a living, and your independence. Physical Therapists are movement experts who can identify, diagnose, and treat movement problems. At CardioFlex, we’ve developed several Specialized Programs for injuries and conditions related to Physical Therapy. 

What can Occupational Therapy do for you?

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Occupational Performance is defined as the individual’s ability to accomplish the tasks required by his or her role and related to his or her developmental stage. Occupational performance includes self-care, work, and play or leisure time performance. This leads us to what Occupational Therapy is: a profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of daily activities (occupations). Occupational therapy practitioners enable people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, and prevent—or live better with—injury, illness, or disability. 

Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. Occupational therapy services typically include:

• + an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals,
• + customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and
• + an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan. 

Occupational therapy practitioners have a holistic perspective, in which the focus is on adapting the environment and/or task to fit the person, and the person is an integral part of the therapy team. It is an evidence-based practice deeply rooted in science. 

The profession of Occupational Therapy makes valuable contributions in helping people “Live Life to Its Fullest” despite their condition or surrounding environment.

Occupational therapy services typically include:

1. Customized treatment programs to improve one’s ability to perform daily activities
2. Comprehensive home and job site evaluations with adaptation recommendations
3. Performance skills assessments and treatment
4. Adaptive equipment recommendations and usage training
5. Guidance to family members and caregivers.

We encourage you to view our video from The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) describing how Occupational Therapy helps people of every age, every day.

CardioFlex Therapy at February Fundraiser Events

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CardioFlex Therapy Physical and Occupational Therapists are participating in or sponsoring the fundraisers that impact our community. After seeing first hand many of the conditions our patients are in when they seek our professional help, our team has carefully decided on the following events. Take a look at our February fundraisers and join us!

WALK FOR WISHES^® – BROWARD. Help make wishes come true one step at a time at the Walk For Wishes^® 5K Walk/Run at Markham Park in Sunrise on Saturday, February 2nd. Participate as an individual or get together with family, friends, and colleagues to form a team.
When: February 2nd.
Where: Markham Park, 16001 W. State Road 84, Sunrise, FL 33326
Info: Emily White (954) 967-9474 x 319

Buen Provecho Miami! An exclusive dinner with various chefs preparing a meal, a high-end silent auction, and an opportunity to meet with all the chefs. All proceeds benefit United Community Options of South Florida, for cerebral palsy.
When: February 21st.
Where: Hotel Colonnade, Coral Gables.
Contact: Grace Bracamonte 305-325-9093

Bike MS: Breakaway to Key Largo. A ride that will take you farther than you’ve ever gone before. The routes feature well-stocked rest stops every 8-12 miles and are monitored by the route support team consisting of HAM radio operators, support vans, motorcycle patrol, law enforcement, EMTs, and mechanics from our partner bike shops. Our participation drives breakthroughs in MS research and ensures people with MS have what they need to live their best lives.
When: March 2nd and 3rd.
Where: FIU Stadium (Miami, FL)
Contact: Event organizer fundraisingsupport@nmss.org

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

Low Back Pain? You need Physical Therapy

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By Terry Abrams.

If you’re suffering from low back pain and wondering why your insurance company won’t approve an MRI before going to physical therapy – there was a great study done on about 800 individuals where they compared two groups, published originally in the journal Health Services Research. One group went straight to imaging and one tried physical therapy first. What they found, was that the ones that went straight to imaging (X-rays, CT scans, MRI) had a greater likelihood to go to surgery, have injections, and end up in the emergency room compared to those who went to Physical Therapy first. The article describes physical therapy as an approach that “focuses on educating patients about what might be causing their back pain, assuring them that most problems subside in time, and engaging them in their therapy.”

Physical therapists are specially trained experts in low back pain.

They are trained to identify any red flags or emergency situations that would require further medical assessment. They’re also trained to help you understand your low back pain, find the root cause of your condition, and give you some practical advice on how to resolve those issues without medication and without surgery. So, if you’re dealing with low back pain and you have not received the authorization for an MRI, I encourage you to find a local, licensed physical therapist in your area and have a conversation about your condition.

“What sets physical therapy apart from other types of treatment is the quality time we spend with our clients,” says Terry Abrams owner and physical therapist at CardioFlex Therapy in Davie, Florida. “Not only will we teach you about your condition and ways you can help yourself, but we will also start you on a program made just for you to get you moving again. A program customized just for you, and none of the side effects of surgery and pain medication.”

NOTE: your physical therapist is well trained in warning signs that would require you to see a doctor for further testing if required.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

Why Physical Therapy First?

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Are you or a family member dealing with pain and aren’t quite sure who you should go see? A physical therapist might not be the first person you think of, but hopefully, after reading this, it’ll help you understand how we can help.

What does a physical therapist do and how can they help with an injury?

A physical therapist can help you move better. Whether you are having trouble getting out of bed, picking up your kids, having difficulty reaching into the cupboards, or any other daily tasks that you’re having trouble doing, a PT can help. We spend one on one time with you to ensure that we tailor to your every need. We also come up with a comprehensive plan to help you get back to what YOU want to do, which is the whole point right? A physical therapist can help facilitate your recovery, with us giving you the tools to be successful. We want to empower you to be able to do things needed to keep you healthy for the long run.

Your physical therapist is focused on getting you back to the things you enjoy

If you choose PT first, you’ll feel better faster, and could potentially save money in the process! Who doesn’t love to save money? In most states, you can see a physical therapist first without needing to see anyone prior. Most people don’t know that, so we’re trying to make sure people understand they have a choice in where they want to go to get better.

I like to compare physical therapy to when something goes wrong with your car. If you need to invest in parts or work done to keep your car running properly, why wouldn’t you do the same thing with regards to your health?

There are many places you can go for an injury, hopefully, you know now that you can choose physical therapy first.

Article credits: GetPT1st by Russell Manalastas.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

Happy FIT Valentines Day

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! Stay fit today with these special tips by CardioFlex Therapy.

www.cardioflextherapy.com

By Terry Abrams

How Physical Therapy can Help Fight the Opioid Crisis

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The ongoing opioid crisis in the United States reflects the unintended consequences of a nation-wide effort to help individuals control their pain. The health care system has, since the mid-1990s, employed an approach to pain management that focuses on the pharmacological masking of pain, rather than treating the actual cause(s) of the pain when its source can be identified. This strategy has resulted in a dramatic increase in opioid prescribing, causing widespread opioid misuse and addiction. It also has led, in the last few years, to a growing realization that current strategies for managing pain have to change—that opioid-centric solutions for dealing with pain at best mask patients’ physical problems and delay or impede recovery and at worst may prove to be dangerous and even deadly. According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), “the health care system must reexamine its approach to pain, including how causal factors are identified, what tools or measures are used to quantify its impact, and how the approach to treatment is aligned with the patient’s goals and values. Ensuring that patients and families are aware of and have access to various options for care is a significant step in addressing this complex issue”.

Physical therapy is a dynamic profession with established  basis for therapeutic interventions capable of restoring, maintaining, and promoting optimal physical function. Physical therapists work both independently and as members of multidisciplinary healthcare teams to enhance the health, well-being, and quality of life of their patients, who present with a wide range of conditions including those that commonly cause pain. The CDC’s recommendations point to “high-quality evidence” that treatments provided by physical therapists (PTs) are especially effective at reducing pain and improving function in cases of low back pain, fibromyalgia, and hip and knee osteoarthritis. Additionally, a number of studies show the efficacy of Physical Therapist interventions in preventing, minimizing, and, in some cases, eliminating pain in patients post surgery, in patients with cancer, and in other clinical scenarios.

Physical therapy is playing a leading role in tackling the opioid epidemic by restoring well-being and mobility in the lives of those suffering from the effects of opioid overuse. Unlike opioids, physical therapy doesn’t mask pain. Physical therapy may contribute to major reductions in pain and significant gains in physical independence through the employment of effective, personalized treatments. Physical Therapists work with patients to develop calculated and tailored programs that progress patients from rest to mobile, and in most instances, pain-free activity.

Ending the opioid epidemic will require collaboration among patients, families, providers, payers,and professionals across the continuum of health care settings, from primary care practices and pharmacies to hospitals and behavioral health facilities. Physical therapists, who engage in an examination process that focuses on not only the symptoms of pain but also the movement patterns that may be contributing to pain, must become central to this multidisciplinary strategy.

If you are struggling with managing your chronic pain, CardioFlex Therapy can help! To schedule a screening, make an appointment, or ask your doctor about CardioFlex Therapy for your therapy needs, call us and we will guide you to get started as soon as possible at our Davie outpatient clinic or in the comfort of your home. Our phone number: 954-693-9090.  

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com