Physical therapy
Whether you’re recovering from joint replacement surgery or a back injury, or you’re managing a painful condition like arthritis, you may benefit from Beacon’s physical therapy program. We offer inpatient and outpatient physical therapy services to children and adults who have trouble moving around and getting things done. We can help you return to an active, pain-free lifestyle.
If you are experiencing issues with musculoskeletal system and injuries to ligaments, tendons, muscles, and bones, you may work with an orthopedic physical therapist.
What is physical therapy?
Physical therapy is a type of rehabilitation that helps people who have lost their ability to move easily. It’s designed to improve their ability to move and perform normal daily activities. It’s performed by licensed professionals called physical therapists. Orthopedic Physical Therapists are uniquely trained and certified in managing patients post-surgery – specifically in joint replacements or trauma related accidents.
Adults who need physical therapy often have experienced an injury, are recovering from surgery, or have a medical condition that impairs their ability to move. Children may need physical therapy if they were born with or develop a physical or mental disability, a sports injury or a medical condition.
Physical therapists help patients improve pain and regain strength, flexibility, range of motion, balance, endurance and coordination in ways such as:
- Prescribing therapeutic exercises
- Manipulating your joints or massaging your muscles to help promote proper movement and function
- Teaching you how to use assistive or adaptive devices, including crutches or a prosthesis (artificial limb)
- Applying heat packs or cold compresses to reduce swelling or relieve pain
- Performing electrical stimulation to reduce pain, inflammation and swelling around a joint
- Using ultrasound therapy to reduce pain
- Providing education including home exercise instructions
- Collaborating with certified athletic trainers to get you back in the game
Who can benefit from physical therapy?
Physical therapists treat people of all ages who were born with, or acquired, a variety of illnesses or injuries that impact mobility, including:
- Joint pain or injuries, such as knee arthritis or a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
- Traumatic orthopedic injuries, including those that result in amputation
- Recovery from joint replacement surgery
- Fibromyalgia (a condition that causes widespread muscle and joint pain along with severe fatigue)
- Lymphedema (swelling, pressure and pain caused by fluid build-up in the body)
Services for physical therapy
- Amputee Clinic: Help patients with amputations by offering full assessments for appropriate prosthetic and K-Level determination. Evaluations, adjustments, treatments and exercise available.
- Acute (trauma) care
- Aquatic Therapy: Aquatic therapy is for patients who need to exercise but are not ready for traditional weight-bearing activities that place a lot of pressure on the joints. This type of supervised therapy takes place in a heated pool, and is especially useful for people who are recovering from an injury or surgery.
- Balance therapy: This is for people who are susceptible to falling due to aging, an injury or a medical condition. Our physical therapists first conduct a thorough evaluation to identify the factors that place you at a higher risk for falls (including step length, vision problems, limited flexibility and balance problems). Next they create a customized treatment plan that includes exercises and recommendations such as removing safety hazards from your home.
- Brain injury intensive program
- Certified hand/UE therapy: This therapy is for people who have lost strength and function in their hand, wrist, arm, elbow or shoulder.
- Concussion: This program is designed for student athletes and others to provide the full continuum of concussion care – even before a head injury occurs. Beacon offers baseline testing for people who have never had a concussion but may be at risk, so they have a “normal” neurological evaluation to compare to should they ever suffer a concussion with lingering symptoms.
- Dry needling: A therapeutic treatment using small needles inserted into soft tissue to alleviate both chronic and acute pain.
- Functional capacity exam
- LSVT (Lee Silverman) BIG
- Lymphedema therapy
- Mobility training (I/O)
- Myofascial release therapy: This therapy is for patients who have painful medical conditions such as fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. Through a combination of gentle massage and stretching, this type of therapy eases pressure and pain that has built up within the connective tissues that wrap around and connect our muscles.
- Pelvic floor physical therapy: This therapy is used to treat men and women with pelvic floor disorders. These include urinary or fecal incontinence, overactive bladder and pelvic pain caused by a surgical procedure (such as a hysterectomy or prostate surgery). Pelvic floor physical therapy also is prescribed for women who are experiencing pain caused by pregnancy or childbirth.
- Sports specific therapy: Running, golf, throwing sports
- Total joint replacement postoperative care
- Vestibular rehabilitation
- Wheelchair clinic
- Work rehabilitation program: This includes work conditioning, functional capacity evaluations and ergonomic assessment. Pre-employment screens using Cybex testing equipment.