OhioHealth
1087 Dennison Avenue
OhioHealth Rehabilitation Hospital. OhioHealth provides outpatient physical therapy in central and north central Ohio.
Today in America, one of the greatest debates revolves around affordability and accessibility to quality health care. Hand-in-hand with this issue is the types of care individuals are seeking out. One diverse and quality option often overlooked is physical therapy, which serves as a possible alternative to pharmaceutical intervention and can help defer surgery.
At many hospitals and medical facilities, treatment takes an interdisciplinary approach of physical, occupational, speech and recreational therapy to restore a patient to the functional and cognitive requirements of their daily life. Along with all of these therapeutic forms, sessions can take place in a number of settings.
Physical therapy can occur in a hospital setting, and can help after events such as a spinal cord injury, stroke or gunshot wound. Inpatient rehab is often provided after significant events when ongoing and consistent therapy is prescribed. Outside of the hospital, therapists can work in the patient’s home when individuals have experienced an event that makes it difficult to travel to and from a healthcare facility, or don’t have the resources to do so. Finally, outpatient therapy allows patients to receive functional care one to two times per week.
In the vast majority of states, including Ohio, physical therapists have direct access to patients, meaning that you can receive treatment from a physical therapist without visiting your physician first. This is a great option for injuries that result in chronic pain, such as a runner who experiences knee pain.
In this situation, as with all injuries, the physical therapist will conduct a full evaluation of the patient’s musculoskeletal system, as there are multiple causes that may result in knee pain. These can include a harmful cadence or heel strike, weak hip flexors, or tightness in areas of the leg. Visiting a physical therapist gives you access to an expert in not just one, but the mechanics and complex interactions of the whole human body.
In addition to activities that may have caused previous injury, a patient’s profession is important to a physical therapist. The overall goal of therapy is to improve mobility, independence and quality of life after injury. Depending on if the individual is a business person sitting at a desk for the majority of their day, or a construction worker laboring for hours in harsh weather conditions, a physical therapist will develop personalized activities to strengthen the body and prevent future injuries.
For additional information on physical therapy or to explore how therapy may be helpful for you, visit www.moveforwardpt.com.
Maggie Ash is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
