Most of us are familiar with the term life span, which is a reference to how long a person will actually live. A newer and even more important term is health span, which means the length of time that a person is healthy and not just alive. Physical therapy can help with healthy aging by improving health span and assisting in a more successful aging process.
Successful aging has a different meaning for each of us, but commonalities exist in most scenarios. In order to age successfully and improve health span, you will need to fully embrace what it will take to do this goal. To live safely, independently, and comfortably, consider your physical, mental, and emotional health as well as your community and any financial implications.
Therapy helps take care of patients in all phases of healing, from initial diagnosis through the restorative and preventive stages of recovery. Physical therapy may be a standalone option, or it may support other treatments.
Some patients are referred to a physical therapist by their doctor, but others seek therapy themselves.
Whichever way a patient come to a physical therapist, they can expect to:
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Undergo a physical exam and evaluation, including a health history and certain testing procedures, including evaluation of posture, movement and flexibility, and of muscle and joint motion and performance
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Receive a clinical diagnosis, prognosis, plan of care and short and long term goals
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Receive physical therapy treatment and intervention based on the therapist’s evaluation and diagnosis
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Receive self-management recommendations
Patients often train with a physical therapist in exercises that they can do at home, to help them function more effectively.
Most of us are familiar with the term life span, which is a reference to how long a person will actually live. A newer and even more important term is health span, which means the length of time that a person is healthy and not just alive. Physical therapy can help with healthy aging by improving health span and assisting in a more successful aging process.
Successful aging has a different meaning for each of us, but commonalities exist in most scenarios. In order to age successfully and improve health span, you will need to fully embrace what it will take to do this goal. To live safely, independently, and comfortably, consider your physical, mental, and emotional health as well as your community and any financial implications.
Independent mobility is different for everyone. It may be through use of an assistive device such as a cane, walker or wheelchair. You need to keep up independently regardless of utilizing a mobility or assistive device.
Increasing your life span without increasing your health span is undesirable. We all want to have quality of life in our later years. A PT can help you to support your independence through mobility. Physical therapy can even be used as preventive medicine to ward off many of the prominent illnesses attributed to aging. Humans were designed to move much more than our current lifestyles afford us. Maintaining your mobility is critical for all body functions and is fundamental in avoiding chronic illness.
Aspects of maintaining mobility include adequate balance, strength, and endurance. As a person ages, the likelihood that extra complicating medical conditions also likely higher. This means that addressing the foundations of mobility (such as balance, strength, and endurance) may not be a straight forward proposition. In fact, it may be somewhat complicated. We all know that maintaining your physical health is important, but complicated medical conditions can make some feel unsure how to proceed.
Three Simple Exercises for Balance and Strength
Here are three simple exercises that almost anyone can perform in order to help maintain balance and improve strength.
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