Physical therapy (physiotherapy in many English speaking countries) in Columbus Ohio is a health care profession which provides
services to individuals and populations to develop, maintain and restore maximum movement and functional ability throughout life. This
includes providing services in circumstances where movement and function are threatened by aging, injury, disease or environmental
factors. Functional movement is a central element in what it means to be healthy.
Physical therapy in Columbus Ohio is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the
spheres of promotion, prevention, treatment/intervention, habilitation and rehabilitation. This encompasses physical, psychological,
emotional, and social well being. It involves the interaction between physical therapist (PT), patients/clients, other health care
professionals, families, care givers, and communities in a process where movement potential is assessed and goals are agreed upon,
using knowledge and skills unique to physical therapists. Physical therapy in Columbus Ohio is performed by either a physical therapist
(PT) or an assistant (PTA) acting under their direction.
PTs utilize an individual's history and physical examination to arrive at a diagnosis and establish a management plan, and when
necessary, incorporate the results of laboratory and imaging studies. Electrodiagnostic testing (e.g. electromyograms and nerve
conduction velocity testing) may also be of assistance.
Physical therapy in Columbus Ohio has many specialties including cardiopulmonary, geriatrics, neurologic, orthopaedic and pediatrics
to name some of the more common areas. PTs practice in many settings, such as outpatient clinics or offices, inpatient rehabilitation
facilities, extended care facilities, private homes, education and research centers, schools, hospices, industrial workplaces or other
occupational environments, fitness centers and sports training facilities.
Physicians like Hippocrates and Hector are believed to have been the first practitioners of a primitive physical therapy, advocating
massage and hydrotherapy to treat people in 460 B.C. The earliest documented origins of actual physical therapy in Columbus Ohio as a
professional group, however, date back to 1894 when four nurses in Great Britain formed the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Other
countries soon followed and started formal training programs, such as the School of Physiotherapy at the University of Otago in New
Zealand in 1913, and the United States' 1914 Reed College in Portland, Oregon, which graduated "reconstruction aides."
Research catalyzed the physical therapy movement. The first physical therapy research in Columbus Ohio was published in the United
States in March 1921 in The PT Review. In the same year, Mary McMillan organized the Physical Therapy Association (now called the
American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)). In 1924, the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation promoted the field by touting physical
therapy as a treatment in Columbus Ohio.
Because the body of knowledge of physical therapy in Columbus Ohio is quite large, some PTs specialize in a specific clinical area.
While there are many different types of physical therapy, the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties list seven specialist
certifications, including Sports Physical Therapy and Clinical Electrophysiology. Worldwide the six most common specialty areas in
physical therapy are:
Cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation physical therapy treat a wide variety of individuals with cardiopulmonary disorders
or those who have had cardiac or pulmonary surgery. Primary goals of this specialty include increasing endurance and functional
independence. Manual therapy is utilized in this field to assist in clearing lung secretions experienced with cystic fibrosis.
Disorders, including heart attacks, post coronary bypass surgery, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary fibrosis,
treatments can benefit from cardiovascular and pulmonary specialized physical therapists.
Geriatric physical therapy in Columbus Ohio covers a wide area of issues concerning people as they go through normal adult aging, but
is usually focused on the older adult. There are many conditions that affect many people as they grow older and include but are not
limited to the following: arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, hip and joint replacement, balance disorders,
incontinence, etc. Geriatric physical therapy helps those affected by such problems in developing a specialized program to help restore
mobility, reduce pain, and increase fitness levels.
Neurological physical therapy in Columbus Ohio is a discipline focused on working with individuals who have a neurological disorder
or disease. These include Alzheimer's disease, ALS, brain injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord
injury, and stroke. Common impairments associated with neurologic conditions include impairments of; vision, balance, ambulation,
activities of daily living, movment, speech and loss of functional independence.
Orthopaedic physical therapy in Columbus Ohio diagnose, manage, and treat disorders and injuries of the musculoskeletal system
including rehabilitation after orthopaedic surgery. This specialty of physical therapy is most often found in the out-patient clinical
setting. Orthopaedic therapists are trained in the treatment of post-operative orthopedic procedures, fractures, acute sports injuries,
arthritis, sprains, strains, back and neck pain, spinal conditions and amputations. Joint and spine mobilization/manipulation,
therapeutic exercise, neuromuscular reeducation, hot/cold packs, and electrical stimulation (e.g., cryotherapy, iontophoresis,
electrotherapy) are modalities often used to expedite recovery in the orthopedic setting. Additionally, an emerging adjunct to
diagnosis and treatment is the use of sonography for diagnosis and to guide treatments such as muscle retraining. Those who have
suffered injury or disease affecting the muscles, bones, ligaments, or tendons of the body will benefit from assessment by a physical
therapy specialist in orthopaedics.
Pediatric physical therapy in Columbus Ohio assists in early detection of health problems and uses a wide variety of modalities to
treat disorders in the pediatric population. These therapists are specialized in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of infants,
children, and adolescents with a variety of congenital, developmental, neuromuscular, skeletal, or acquired disorders/diseases.
Treatments focus on improving gross and fine motor skills, balance and coordination, strength and endurance as well as cognitive and
sensory processing/integration. Children with developmental delays, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, or torticollis, may be treated by
pediatric physical therapists.