PHYSICAL THERAPY is provided Tuesday 1pm - 4pm and Friday 1pm - 5pm

 

                 Physical therapists (PTs) are health care professionals who diagnose and treat individuals of all ages, from newborns to mature adults, who have medical problems or other health-related conditions that limit their ability to move and perform physical activities.  Licensure is required in each state in which a physical therapist practices.  All PTs must receive a graduate degree from an accredited physical therapy program before taking the national licensure examination that allows them to practice.  PT’s consult and practice along with a variety of other professionals, such as physicians, dentists, nurses, educators, social workers, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists. 

             As stated earlier, PTs provide services that help restore function, improve mobility, relieve pain and prevent or limit physical disabilities of patients suffering from injuries or disease.  Furthermore, they restore, maintain, and promote overall physical fitness and health. Their patients may include individuals with developmental disabilities, cerebral palsy, hypotonia, arthritis, heart disease and traumatic brain injuries.  Some physical therapists treat a wide range of ailments; others specialize in areas such as pediatrics, geriatrics, orthopedics, sports medicine, neurology, or cardiopulmonary physical therapy.

             Evaluation is the first step a PT must take before he/she provides treatment.  During the evaluation process, a PT will examine a patient’s medical history and then test to measure the patient’s strength, range of motion, balance and coordination, posture, muscle performance, respiration, and motor function. The information from the evaluation is then used to develop a treatment plan which may promote the patient’s ability to move or it may reduce pain, restore function, or prevent disability.  

             Once the evaluation process is complete, a treatment plan is created.  The treatment plan may include specific exercise routines for patients who have been immobilized or lack flexibility, strength, or endurance. Physical therapists often encourage patients to use their own muscles to increase their flexibility and range of motion before finally advancing to other exercises that improve strength, balance, coordination, and endurance. Since the primary goal of the PT is to improve how an individual’s body functions at physical tasks, a PT creates a treatment strategy which includes the purpose for treatment and anticipated outcomes to accomplish this.

             After a treatment plan has been created, PTs carefully monitor and document the patient’s progress.  They also conduct periodic examinations, and will modify treatments if necessary. This documentation is not only designed to track the patient’s progress but it will also help the PT identify areas requiring more or less attention. 

             Let’s now look at how a PT may use hippotherapy as a tool in a treatment strategy. Hippotherapy uses the horse to facilitate normal movement patterns and to normalize muscle tone.  The movement of the horse creates a unique interactive environment where the vestibular system can easily be accessed for stimulation or inhibition.  PTs use the walking patterns of the horse to challenge and strengthen core muscles through the trunk and back.  Hippotherapy provides a fun and motivating environment for the client to perform many traditional physical therapy exercises to improve strength and flexibility.  Through repetitive and graded rhythmical movement, the client is given the opportunity to experience more normal movement patterns with subsequent gains in posture, balance, endurance and, ultimately, gait.    

Physical Therapy

Somerset Hills Handicapped Riding Center