For seniors recovering from injury or illness and for those experiencing chronic pain, physical therapy can help relieve pain and restore physical functions such as flexibility, strength, balance and coordination.
Elderly physical therapy combines a combination of approaches including stretching, walking, massage, hydrotherapy, and electrical stimulation among others.
The goal of physical therapy for seniors is to make daily tasks and activities easier. And to make seniors as independent as possible.
Among the circumstances where physical therapy can be valuable are for those:

• Recovering from injuries such as a broken hip
• Osteoarthritis
• Pain in all parts of the body such as knee, back, shoulder, wrist, etc.
• Diabetes
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Stroke
• Vertigo
• Incontinence
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Cerebral Palsy
• And many other conditions

What Does a Physical Therapist Do?Physical Therapists (PTs) diagnose and treat everyone from newborns to seniors who have medical problems or health-related issues. PTs develop a plan using a variety of treatment techniques to increase a person’s movement, reduce pain, and restore function.
The first goal is to reduce pain and swelling if there is any. Then, a PT will apply various techniques to increase flexibility, strength, coordination and balance. These techniques usually involve exercise such as stretching, lifting weights and walking. 
PTs can also combine an assortment of other therapies, some that may help, and others that may not. It’s often a trial and error process.
Types of Physical Therapy 
Manual Therapy is therapy performed by the hands of the therapist with the goal of relaxing the patient, reducing pain, and providing more flexibility. It includes:

• Massaging muscles and the body’s soft tissues to relax the patient, improve circulation and relieve pain.
• Mobilization uses slow movements to twist, pull and pull joints and bones into place. This can help to loosen tight joint tissues and increase flexibility.
• Manipulation uses fast, forceful movements to relieve pain and re-align joints and bones.

Cold Therapy is used to relieve pain, swelling and inflammation from conditions such as arthritis. Treatment involves ice packs (15 to 20 minute sessions), ice massage, and rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE).
Heat Therapy relaxes muscles and improves blood circulation, which is useful for loosening stiff joints from osteoarthritis or other conditions where you’ve been immobilized. Heat is also used to loosen muscles before exercise.
Hydrotherapy uses water to treat diseases and to maintain health, healing soft tissues, increasing blood flow, and relaxing the entire body.
Electrical stimulation uses electrical current to create a desired effect in the body. For instance, electrical current can scramble pain signals to cover feelings of pain. Electrical stimulation is used to contract muscles in stroke victims and those with arthritis.
Electrical stimulation is the general term that describes the use of electrical current to create an effect in the body. There are several uses for electrical stimulation. Electrical stimulation therapy is often used in conjuction with cold laser therapy to provide better healing.
Physical Therapists educate patients in every session. Patients are taught how to perform daily tasks, protect their body from re-injury, perform exercises at home, and how to make their homes a safer place.
Ultrasound uses high-pitched sound waves to reduce muscle spasms and relax the muscles before and after exercise.
Treating Specific Conditions with Physical TherapyThe medical community is finding that physical therapy can be used to help patients with a variety of diseases and medical conditions—some obvious, some less so.
Most people 65 and over have some arthritis in their spine, even if they don’t have the symptoms. Physical therapy can help offset future symptoms by using aquatic exercises, hot packs, electrical stimulation and other techniques.

• For stroke patients, PTs use constraint-induced movement therapy, where you are forced (your good limb is restrained) to use your weaker arm or hand. Motor imagery and mental practice involves rehearsing movements without actually doing it. This stimulates that part of your brain that controls movement.
• Parkinson’s disease patients perform exercises that improve trunk flexibility to avoid the robotic movements the disease produces.
• Incontinence patients are taught how to find the right muscles and use them correctly. Doing pelvic exercises helps strengthen muscles to better control the bladder.
• PTs work Alzheimer’s patients using exercise, which can improve memory and delay the onset of more serious memory problems. They also use “mirroring” where the PT serves as a mirror, showing the patient how to move. Other techniques include dancing and gardening, which help patients remember certain types of movements.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which causes difficulty breathing, is addressed with exercise training that can improve shortness of breath by training muscles and increasing aerobic capacity.

Summary
As you can see, physical therapy can help seniors in about every area of health care imaginable. If you’re recovering from surgery or an illness or living with a disease, ask your doctor about physical therapy. PT can give you back your independence by increasing your mobility and making daily tasks easier.
Physical Therapists can be given to seniors in a wide variety of living situations !

The Achilles tendon is the largest and strongest tendon in the body that allows you to run, jump, and stand on the balls of your feet. Achilles tendonitis is an inflammation of the tendon, often due to chronic overuse, that leads to swelling, pain, and irritation. Physical therapy is the most common treatment for Achilles tendonitis, decreasing pain, strengthening the affected area safely, improving mobility and flexibility, and allowing patients to return to daily activities and sports in a timely manner.
What is the Achilles Tendon?The Achilles tendon is the largest, strongest tendon in the body that connects the calf muscles to the heel bone. The Achilles tendon is used to jump, walk, run, and stand on the balls of the feet. When a person pushes off the ground, force is transmitted down the calf muscles through the Achilles tendon to the foot to allow a person to run or jump; when landing, the Achilles tendon helps to control the ankle’s position when the foot comes back to the ground. It can withstand a high amount of stress from running and jumping, but is prone to irritation, overuse, and degeneration.
What is Achilles Tendonitis? Achilles tendonitis is a common condition that occurs when the Achilles tendon becomes irritated and inflamed due to repetitive stress on the tendon or a sudden increase in the amount of or intensity of exercise that places too much stress on the Achilles tendon. Achilles tendonitis can occur within the tendon itself or at the point where the tendon attaches to the heel bone.
 There are two types of Achilles tendonitis:

1. Non-insertional Achilles tendonitis: the fibers in the middle portion of the tendon begin to break down and degenerate with tiny tears in the fibers. This causes swelling and thickening of the tendon and is common in younger, active athletes and people.
2. Insertional Achilles tendonitis: pain occurs at the lower portion of the tendon where it attaches to the heel bone. It occurs most often after years of overuse, particularly in long distance runners.

Achilles tendonitis results in swelling, pain, and irritation of the tendon and can limit the individual’s ability to walk, jump, and run.  If a sudden “pop” is heard in the back of the calf or heel, rupture or tearing of the Achilles tendon may have occurred, often requiring surgery and rehabilitation.
 Symptoms of Achilles Tendonitis include:

• Pain and stiffness along the Achilles tendon in the morning
• Pain along the tendon or back of the heel that worsens during activity
• Severe pain the day after exercising
• Thickening of the tendon
• Development of a bone spur (with insertional tendonitis)
• Swelling present continually and gets worse during the day with activity

There are several factors that contribute to developing Achilles tendonitis, which include calf muscle tightness and weakness, abnormal foot structure and mechanics, improper footwear for activities, obesity, and a sudden change and increase in intensity in exercise or sports training. Achilles tendonitis is more common in runners.
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Physical Therapy for Achilles Tendonitis Physical therapy is the first line approach to managing Achilles tendonitis. Physical therapy can decrease pain and swelling of the Achilles tendon, strengthen the affected area, improve mobility and flexibility, and help patients return to their daily activities and sports safely and gradually. The physical therapist completes a thorough evaluation of the heel, calf, and ankle and assesses foot posture, strength, flexibility, and movement, including functional movements (such as standing, walking, stepping on stairs, heel raises, and squatting).
Physical therapy treatment for Achilles tendonitis includes:

• Stretching and flexibility exercises to help the tendon heal without shortening the tendon or causing long-term pain
• Individualized exercise program with progressive strengthening exercises to regain tensile strength of the tendon
  • Use of eccentric exercises to reduce pain and improve function of the tendon
  • Lower-extremity resistance program used to correct weakness-associated movement dysfunction that contributed to pain and irritation of tendon
• Use of ice and ultrasound heat modalities to manage pain and swelling
• Manual therapy soft tissue mobilizations to improve mobility and range of motion to help ankle, knee, hip, and foot move properly
• Taping to decrease strain on tendon
• Education on external factors contributing to tendonitis, including inappropriate footwear or over-training
• Foot orthotics to reduce pain and address ankle and foot mechanics when running
• Functional training to transition from strengthening exercises to daily activities and sports to relearn how to complete these actions safely  

Achilles tendonitis is a common condition causing irritation and loss of full function of the Achilles tendon, affecting your ability to walk, run, and jump. Don’t wait to address your Achilles tendon pain. Come see us at Zenergy  so that we can help you return to your sport and activities without pain and stronger than before!

The hip is a ball and socket joint consisting of the thigh (femur) and the pelvis. There are many ligaments that support the bones, which provide considerable stability to the joint. Numerous muscles also attach around the hip to help move the joint.
Hip pain can be caused by many factors. Often, you may start feeling hip pain for no apparent reason. Sometimes recreation or sports puts repetitive strain on the hip causing pain. Because the hip is a major weight-bearing joint, arthritis of the hip is a common problem. The hip is responsible for such functional activities as walking, running, rising from sitting, and climbing stairs. Pain in the hip can limit these activities.
Where Hip Pain Is Felt The hip is close to the low back, and it can be difficult to determine if your hip pain is truly coming from the hip or coming from your low back. The location of your symptoms can often help to solve this problem.

• Pain in the groin or front of the hip. If you feel pain in the front of the hip, this may due to arthritis in the hip joint. In younger people, anterior hip and groin pain may be caused by hip femoroacetabular impingement (FAI).Muscular strain around the hip can also cause pain here.
• Pain in the side of the hip. Pain in the side of the hip typically indicates a problem with the muscles or structures around the hip. A common problem here is hip bursitis. A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that allows muscles and bones to glide smoothly past one another. Bursitis is irritation of that sac. There is a large bursa on the side of the hip, and this can become irritated with repetitive strain or muscle imbalance. Iliotibial band pain can also arise from the side of your hip.

If hip pain persists for more than two or three weeks or occurs as the result of major trauma, a visit to a physician, physical therapist, or healthcare provider is recommended.
What to Expect From Physical Therapy for Hip Pain Your first visit to physical therapy for hip pain will begin with an initial evaluation. This visit is important to ensure correct diagnosis and proper management. During this visit, the physical therapist will interview you to gather information about the history of your problem, the aggravating and relieving factors, and about any past medical history that may contribute to the overall problem. From the information gathered during the history, a focused examination will be conducted.
The examination may consist of several sections including, but not limited to:

• Gait evaluation. A gait evaluation is an assessment of how you are walking.Physical therapists are trained to notice small changes in the hip during different phases of walking. This can help lead to proper management. Your physical therapist may also perform a video gait analysis to identify nuances in your gait that may be leading to your pain.
• Palpation. This involves using the hands to touch various structures around the hip to feel for abnormalities or to assess if a structure is painful to touch.
• Range of motion measurements. Range of motion refers to how far your hip is bending, straightening, or rotating. The physical therapist may use special instruments to measure how the hip joint is moving to help direct treatment.
• Strength measurements. There are many muscular attachments around the hip and a measurement of strength can help determine if muscular weakness or imbalance is causing your hip pain.
• Functional mobility tests. Your PT may watch you walk, climb stairs, or run to determine how your hip pain affects your overall mobility.
• Special tests. Special tests are specific maneuvers performed around the hip to help determine which structure may be at fault and may be causing the problem. This may include testing of the low back to determine if your hip pain is really coming from your spine.

After the initial evaluation, you and your physical therapist will be able to initiate a plan of treatment for your hip. The therapist may use physical agents like heat or ice help with inflammation.
Passive treatments like heat or ice may feel good, but active engagement in your PT program through exercise has been proven to be the best treatment for hip pain.
Exercises to improve hip strength or mobility may be prescribed by your physical therapist. You also may have to perform exercises at home each day as part of a home exercise program. It is important for you to be an active participant in physical therapy, and ask questions if you have any.
Exercises to improve the mobility or strength of your hip are important to keep your hip healthy. Simple exercises performed once daily are a good way to keep the hips working properly. As your hip pain improves, advanced hip strengthening may be another option to maximize hip function.
Research has also shown that joint mobilization techniques can help improve short and long-term pain in patients with hip osteoarthritis. This improvement in pain may also be accompanied by improved hip mobility.
The hip is a major weight-bearing joint in the body and is responsible for many functional activities such as walking and running, sitting and standing, and climbing stairs. Pain in your hip may limit your normal activities. Research has shown that working with a physical therapist can help improve your pain and overall mobility. By keeping your hips strong and mobile, hip pain can quickly be eliminated and a rapid return to normal activity can occur.