There are more than a half million professional physical therapists in the U.S. today. These are licensed, trained, and highly educated professionals who typically work in tandem with a physician to get patients back to maximum function either pre- or post-surgery. Sometimes, physical therapists can even help patients avoid surgery completely. At Midwest Orthopaedics at RUSH (MOR), we are immensely proud of our physical therapists who work for our patients in 17 clinics around the Chicagoland area.

In recognition of National Physical Therapy Month (October), we’d like to highlight just exactly how our physical therapists help patients every day:

1. Restore and optimize function. Physical therapy can help improve mobility, strength, movement pattern, range of motion, and quality of life to help patients return to their previous level of function and recreational goals
2. Learn about your body and how it works. Physical therapists spend an average of one hour conducting an initial evaluation to measure joint range of motion, and muscle strength, and assess the quality of movements to help you understand how your body moves and how to optimize its function during treatment
3. Pain management. Exercise has been proven to be an effective modulator of pain for everything between chronic arthritis and an acute ankle sprain. Physical therapy will gradually progress patients through a regimented exercise program to minimize pain and maximize movement.
4. Perform your daily and recreational activities with confidence. Physical therapists will simulate an environment that allows patients to safely and confidently perform work, sport, or daily activities so patients can feel comfortable returning to their daily life
5. Prevent and reduce the risk of re-injury. With the guidance of a physical therapist, preventive measures can be taken to reduce a patient’s risk of future injuries and stay active doing the things you love

If you would like to learn more about our physical therapy services or where our physical therapy clinics are located, please visit www.rushortho.com.