Sunday, January 29, 2017

Prompt 9: The Importance of Physical Therapy

By: Nick Izzo

Kinesiology is a very broad generalization of many possible fields. An undergraduate degree in kinesiology opens up many opportunities in one's future. Everything from a running shoe sales person to a physical therapist can be achieved through a kinesiology undergraduate degree. Physical therapy specifically is a booming field because of the aging baby boomers.

As most of us know, as age increases so does blood pressure therefore so does the chance of a stroke or heart attack. After a stroke, the patient normally experiences a lack of mobility and through physical therapy, they can regain some of that over time. After they regain some of their mobility they can once again become more independent and don’t need a nurse to do simple tasks like getting out of bed and going to the bathroom. This is a reassurance to the patient that they haven’t lost all of their freedom which is psychologically uplifting as well. Along with age also comes the lack of ability to move. Physical therapy can help reduce pain by stimulating lost muscle and joint function that has occurred over the years. Physical therapy can also prevent surgery. I have personally experienced this when I had myositis ossificans in my right thigh. Myositis ossificans is basically a very deep bruise on the bone that swells and causes immobilization due to the calcification of the blood in that swelled location. But through physical therapy, I was able to eliminate the swelling and regain the movement in my leg. Physical therapy is also very popular in the sports world. Many knee injuries are treated with physical therapy after surgery to regain movement and strength.

Physical therapy is a subcategory to the very broad study of kinesiology and it’s one of the most important. Without physical therapy regaining strength, mobility, even independence in some cases, would be very difficult. This occupation has helped many people and will continue to help people.



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