Orthopedics is the branch of medicine that focuses on the muscles and bones. All physical therapists need to have some knowledge of how the muscles and bones work and interact; but an orthopedic physical therapist specializes in treating problems that directly affect the muscles and bones.
Some conditions that orthopedic physical therapists commonly treat include recovering from joint replacement surgery, broken bones, abnormal spinal curvatures like scoliosis and rips and tears to the muscles and tendons.
Common tools for orthopedic physical therapists include stretching, exercise and temperature therapy.
Stretching is used to restore mobility and flexibility to muscles and joints. It is used as a treatment for abnormal spinal curvatures, whip lash, and a number of other conditions.
Exercise can be used either to strengthen muscles, often used when some muscles have atrophied from disuse, like after a cast is taken off, or to help restore proprioception. Proprioception is the way people know where their body is, it is why a person can close their eyes and touch their nose – because they know where their finger and nose are without needing to see them. If something has damages this sense of where the body is, orthopedic physical therapists know exercises to help restore it.
Temperature therapy includes both hot and cold treatments, from hot tubs to ice packs and everything in between. Temperature treatment is important in recovering from injury to the muscles. As a general rule, ice is used immediately after the injury to reduce the damage, and heat is used several days after the injury, to speed the healing process.
Orthopedic physical therapy is usually an outpatient treatment. Depending on the severity of the condition, a patient will meet with the therapist once a day, several times a week, or once a week. It is rare for an orthopedic physical therapist to see a patient less often than once a week.
