It is very important to keep your body feeling and moving at its best. When body pain strikes or you experience an injury, make an appointment right away with IMPACT Physical Therapy & Sports Recovery!Â
With direct access in Illinois, you no longer need a doctor’s order or script to receive care from a licensed physical therapist or athletic trainer. This means you can be seen by a skilled clinician within a timely manner and at your convenience.
The primary focus of most physical therapy services is to improve daily functionality by increasing mobility and minimizing discomfort. During an evaluation, a physical therapist will assess everything from your posture and walking to your strength and balance to determine the root cause of your movement issue. Clinicians can then incorporate various hands-on manual therapy techniques, including soft tissue massage and joint mobilization. These methods are aimed at improving the quality of motion in certain body parts. Another key component of physical therapy is performing supervised stretches and exercises in the clinic that are designed to help improve strength and endurance. Other services include cupping and trigger point dry needling to target specific muscles and aid in the body’s healing process.
One of the most unique things about working with a physical therapist is their focus on injury reduction and prevention. Similar to a skilled mechanic who works to find out why your vehicle ran poorly in the first place; a skilled physical therapist looks to determine what is causing your movement problem in order to address it directly. For example, a patient’s knee pain could, in part, be stemming from a weakness in the hips or a lack of stability at the ankle joint. While it is key to directly treat the knee itself, it is just as essential to address the hips and ankles to prevent the knee pain from coming back down the line. It is also important to recognize that there can be multiple factors contributing to a single issue. With these variables in mind, a clinician will design a personalized treatment plan that considers all your rehab goals.
Another huge component of physical therapy is patient education. Whether it is discussing ways to modify one’s workplace setup or teaching someone how to lift a box without pain, it is our job as healthcare professionals to provide guidance and be a resource for information that will help improve your quality of life. From an exercise standpoint, physical therapists and athletic trainers specialize in coaching you to perform movements with proper technique, while avoiding discomfort to ensure that you are confident and comfortable performing exercises between sessions to build lasting changes and improvements.
Above all, it is our role as providers to know where our patients are on their health and wellness journey. When seeking care from a physical therapist, we take into account the different variables in your life that may impact our plan of care. We are dedicated to aiding you in successfully achieving your goals so you can return confidently and pain-free to your regular, everyday activities.
As a reminder, IMPACT also has a sports recovery component for those who may not need physical therapy but want to reduce any minor aches/pains, prevent injury, and bounce back quickly after a tough day on the job. IMPACT Sports Recovery has numerous state-of-the-art recovery tools including Normatec compression boots, arms and hips, cold water immersion tubs, Hyperice massaging tools, and access to licensed physical therapist and athletic trainers for any additional body work that is needed.
Want to learn more? Contact IMPACT Physical Therapy & Sports Recovery at 833-299-4672 schedule an evaluation or consultation with a physical therapist!
