Increase Your Range of Motion With Physical Therapy

Whether you have a chronic pain condition, such as arthritis, recently had surgery, or experienced an injury that impacts your joints and muscles, physical therapy can help. Also known as rehabilitation, physical therapy is a specialized form of care that aims to promote healing and minimize ongoing pain so that you can enjoy more comfort and better life quality. And many of these benefits involve an improved range of motion.

Our caring team of medical providers at Arundel Medical Group, Inc. in Glen Burnie, Maryland, customize physical therapy programs to meet your unique needs and preferences. Read on to learn how physical therapy can increase your range of motion and why you may want to consider it.

Range of motion types

There are three types of range of motion: active, active-assistive, and passive. Active range of motion refers to how much you can move a particular joint when you’re using it for physical activity. Active-assistive range of motion involves the extent of motion of an injured joint with help from another person or a special device. Passive range of motion refers to the extent of movement when you aren’t using any muscles to move a joint—such as your knee when you can’t yet use it normally after knee replacement surgery. 

Our physical therapist team can measure and help you improve all three types. Typically, we’ll focus on passive range of motion during initial healing phases after an injury or surgery and later progress to the active types.

How physical therapy helps

Range of motion exercises are aimed at moving a particular joint and surrounding soft tissues in ways that stimulate healing and protect against further injury. These exercises can help prevent a range of complications, such as shortening of your muscles, ligaments, and tendons. 

While some of the exercises take place only in our office, our physical therapists will likely recommend various exercises you can do at home as well. If you’re experiencing some amount of paralysis of one or more joints, passive range of motion can also help prevent contractures — the fixed tightening of skin, ligaments, muscles, or tendons. That keeps skin pressure ulcers from forming. 

Physical therapy for increased range of motion can also help you heal from surgery and various injuries more efficiently to get you back to many, if not all, of your previous activities.

Starting sooner than later can invite the most benefits from physical therapy. To learn more or begin treatment soon, call Arundel Medical Group, Inc., or request an appointment on our website.