Our bodies wear down as we get older but that doesn’t mean we simply give up and let time take us! Physical therapy is great for building or maintaining our physique, even as our bodies become more difficult to care for.
To help you reach your body maintenance goals, Align Health & Wellness provides access to top-quality physical therapy for seniors in New Jersey. Is there a difference between geriatric physical therapy and other types of PT? This blog will explore your options and the benefits of senior-focused care.
Is Physical Therapy for Seniors Different?
Any type of physical therapy should help you regain, maintain, or improve your physical abilities. However, physical therapy in geriatrics starts with therapeutic exercises that immediately account for age-related limitations.
Improvement benchmarks often have lower strength, range of motion, and flexibility requirements. If you want to improve after those benchmarks, you can, but the aim is to set a positive health baseline. For example, some therapeutic plans may monitor your progress to prevent muscle atrophy rather than focusing on balance.
We customize each person’s PT to set reasonable expectations without underestimating your potential.
Two Major Benefits of Geriatric Physical Therapy
Seniors looking for physical therapy in West Windsor, NJ, often want the following:
Improved Mobility and Flexibility
The CDC recommends that adults 65 and older get 75 minutes of vigorous or 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. However, a 2016 study discovered that 27.5% of adults 50 and over didn’t get any exercise outside of common movements at work. The older a person was, the greater the percentage increased.
Part of the reason for this is we tend to move around less as we age, losing some of our mobility and flexibility. Physical therapy for seniors, through a specialized therapeutic regime, can prevent and even reverse some loss.
For better mobility and flexibility, we would suggest focusing on two types of exercises:
- Strength training
- Stretching and range-of-motion
These exercises can reduce the strain you feel while lifting or carrying objects while improving your ease of movement. Better yet, these exercises don’t have to be moderate or vigorous. The CDC doesn’t have recommendations for more casual strengthening exercises, so your physical therapist can create custom benchmarks just for you.
Fall Prevention and Balance Improvement
The CDC found that a tenth of all falls result in injuries that keep seniors down for at least one day. In 2019, reports also stated that falls accounted for 83% of hip fracture deaths and 88% of ER visits and hospitalizations for hip fractures.
Physical therapy in Allentown, NJ, can focus on core strength and improving balance. By working on your core, you can reduce your chances of hospitalization or death from an unfortunate fall. Therapists may emphasize balance exercises, like heel-to-toe walking or gait training.
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) found that seeing a physical therapist at least once a year improves health management. With the previous statistics in mind, you likely see why physical therapy for seniors has been so beneficial.
Build Your Body Up With New Jersey Physical Therapy
Align Health & Wellness gives you the opportunity to take better care of your body so it lasts as long as you do. Our physical therapy team researches ways to help you keep moving as best as you can.
Our doctors accept most insurance plans, including workers’ compensation, no-fault, and PIP (personal injury protection). If you don’t have insurance, you’re not alone. We may be able to accommodate alternative payment methods that suit your budget.
Visit our contact page today to see the benefits of physical therapy for yourself!
Frequently Asked Questions
Have you ever wondered how relevant physical therapy is to your situation? We answer a few common questions below:
Do You Provide Physical Therapy After Surgeries?
Yes, Align Health & Wellness also offers physical therapy after surgeries. We can help patients of all ages in our Allentown and West Windsor offices.
How Long Does Physical Therapy Usually Last?
Physical therapy usually lasts as long as it needs to. The plan depends on your physical condition and the benchmarks you need to meet rather than a set period. Therefore, physical therapy training can last for several weeks. Then, after your appointments, continuing your care could be a life-long endeavor.
Can Physical Therapy for Seniors Help with Managing Pain?
Yes, physical therapy can help with managing pain. Light exercise can help you regain or maintain your mobility whether you’re using it for post-accident rehabilitation or dealing with chronic pain. Having higher stretching and exercise thresholds may also reduce how reliant you may be on pain medication.