Orthopedic Physical Therapy

Orthopedic physical therapy is the specialty of evaluating the patient’s body and movements. As a physical therapist, my job is to optimize my patients’ body movements. Their movement is typically off-kilter when they come to see me.

This can happen for several reasons, but primarily:

• Habitual Movements and Postures
• Joint Stiffness and Degeneration
• Injury

Let’s take a look at each of these and how physical therapy can help.

Habitual Movements and Postures

One of the ways people can get off kilter, is in habitual postures. For example, think of someone who sits at a desk or performs repetitive tasks – they are predisposed to abnormal forces, which can lead to musculoskeletal pain or limitation. Physical therapists can help modify the work environment to help minimize forces while at the same time providing training and exercises to make the patient more tolerant to those forces so that there is no breakdown and, therefore, pain.

Joint Stiffness and Degeneration

As an orthopedic physical therapist, I also specialize in helping people with joint issues. As we age, degenerative changes can occur in our joints. The joints that come to mind first are the knee and hip. In those situations, physical therapists help develop a plan to prevent daily activity and hobby limitations. At the same time, physical therapy helps with pain management and surgery prevention holistically, which has been proven by research to help in most cases.

Injury Recovery and Prevention

Patients often come to physical therapy after experiencing an injury. An initial plan of care will help a patient regain regular movement and eliminate pain.

Another way an orthopedic physical therapist can help a patient is through injury prevention. I am trained to do a thorough assessment of your nervous and musculoskeletal systems to see if they are performing optimally, even if you are not currently in pain or experiencing limitations. If your body is in good working order, then you are much less likely to become injured in the course of daily activities.

Coming in for a PT tune-up complements your yearly physical with your primary care doctor. We all know the value of having a physician listen to our heart, check our blood pressure, perform blood work, and check in on our internal systems to ward off disease and help cure our ailments. Why not also have a yearly checkup with your movement specialist who can help you stay active in a noninvasive way by warding off potential injuries before they happen?

Contact us today for an assessment.

Thanks, and here’s to helping you reach your Pinnacle! 

Dr. Brian Murphy 

Pinnacle Physical Therapy