What is "physical therapy"?

What is "physical therapy"?

Jerry Pryde, MD, MPH, CIME (Clinical Chief, Department of Rehabilitation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center) gives expert video advice on: Can physical therapy decrease my need for pain medication? and more...

Physical therapy is a health care specialty that is focused on evaluating, diagnosing and treating people with musculoskeletal problems, specific exercises focused on your particular physical limitation. They may also be involved in wound care. They can be involved in pain management, if a particular physical condition is particularly painful, and this is a very common component of physical therapy: managing someone's pain, and then restoring their physical abilities or teaching them how to compensate for some limitations that they may have in their physical abilities.