Wondering whether you can resume physical therapy? Or have you been putting off getting started? Maybe you’re struggling with a chronic condition like lower back pain, or you’re recovering from an injury.

Physical therapy can improve your mobility, ease pain and get you back to your normal activities sooner. Despite these major health benefits, you may still be hesitant about scheduling your first or next therapy session. It’s understandable. But know that our physical therapists are here to make sure you get the care you need safely.

Strengthening Our Safety Practices For Your Physical Therapy

If your condition or injury is limiting your life, physical therapy can be an effective treatment. According to the American Physical Therapy Association, physical therapy can help you regain or maintain strength, flexibility and function. When you see a therapist, you’ll learn exercises and other strategies to help you get the most out of each day.

As you work one-on-one with your therapist to improve your physical health, take comfort in knowing our therapists are doing all they can to keep you safe and healthy. This includes washing their hands often and practicing social distancing when possible.

During your therapy session, your therapist will wear a face mask and other personal protective equipment when appropriate. You will be asked to wear a mask, too. In fact, as part of our safety policy, we give a mask to everyone who comes into our facilities.

To further protect you and our care teams, we’re proactively screening every health care provider and staff member for signs of illness. That includes all physical therapists.

At every point during your visit to one of our facilities, we’re focused on keeping you safe. That way, you can focus on getting stronger. Some of the other safety measures we have in place include:

• Checking temperatures of all visitors and staff
• Cleaning and sanitizing all workout equipment and high-touch surfaces like door handles and chairs
• Letting you wait in your car for your therapy session
• Limiting the number of people allowed inside our facilities
• Redesigning waiting rooms and places of care to help with social distancing

Flexible Care Options for Physical Thearpy

Much of medical care, including physical therapy, has traditionally been done face to face. But virtual care services may now be available for many medical reasons, including physical therapy.

Depending on your condition, you may now be able to consult with your physical therapist virtually from the comfort of your home. You may even be able to have an online video visit. Your therapist can remotely go over your therapy goals and other key parts of your treatment plan, such as:

• Exercises to build up your strength
• Stretches to increase flexibility
• Ways to manage pain, such as ice or heat therapy
• Other ways to care for yourself, such as massage

In some cases, a video visit may be the best option, especially if you need to stay home and away from other people. For instance, maybe you have an underlying health condition like heart disease that puts you at high risk for serious illness from coronavirus, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you have such concerns, reach out to your therapist to talk about how you can still receive much-needed care.

We’re Here When You Need Us

We want you to be able to live your best life possible — pain-free. So when you’re ready to get physical therapy or if you need other medical services, we’re ready to care for you and keep you safe. To schedule an appointment with a physical therapist, visit AdventHealth’s website or AdventHealth Sports, Med & Rehab at the Center for Health & Wellbeing.