What is Physical Therapy?

Physical Therapy, often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession that is recommended when health problems make it hard to move around and do everyday tasks. The goals of physical therapy are to improve strength, mobility, flexibility, balance and coordination in order to improve your physical function. Physical therapy works to make everyday tasks and activities easier. It can help people learn to roll, transition positions, sit, walk and move through their environments in as safe and independent a manner as is possible. Sometimes this independence is reliant upon additional assistance such as a walker, crutch or wheelchair.
Physical therapists can also teach patients and their caregivers how to best manage their health conditions in order to optimize their long term health benefits.