If you are looking for a physical therapist, you will probably encounter a number of physical therapy practices and clinics that call themselves or what they offer ‘advanced physical therapy’. Few of them, however, explain what they mean or how they differ from other physical therapy practices. So what exactly is advanced physical therapy? And how does it differ from any other kind of physical therapy?
There are several specializations that physical therapists can be certified in that require more extensive training and could be considered an ‘advanced’ level of physical therapy. These specializations include geriatric, pediatric, and neurological, among others. However, practitioners of these specialties will identify themselves by their specialty, and will not refer to themselves as ‘advanced’ physical therapists.
Similarly, the American Physical Therapy Association does not refer to any type of ‘advanced physical therapy’ or distinguish between practitioners in any way except their recognized certifications, both for physical therapy in general, and the specializations.
Basically, there is no practice of ‘advanced physical therapy’. Clinics of therapists using the phrase may be trying to refer their having a number of years of experience, a wide variety of specializations, the latest in diagnostic equipment, or any number of other things that they feel would set them apart from the other physical therapists in their area. Or they may just think it’s a good name.
There is no reason to believe that a therapist or clinic for ‘advanced physical therapy’ is any more experienced, skilled, or anything else than any other therapists. So, if you are looking for a physical therapist in your area, there is no need to question whether you should see a ‘regular’ physical therapist or an ‘advanced’ physical therapist – they are the same. Instead, look at details like years of experience, specializations, referrals and recommendations to determine which specific therapist is right for you.

Performance physical therapy is probably one of the more popular names of physical therapy practices. It is not a specific type of physical therapy, and the name can be found being used by therapists focusing on neurological disorders, sports injuries, and every other branch of physical therapy.
However, while it isn’t universal, there is one thing that many clinics using this name, or a variation on it, have in common.
Clinics or therapists that use the term ‘performance physical therapy’ tend to share a specific philosophy that can impact their approach to treatment and the goals of physical therapy.
For these clinics, the key is in the word ‘performance’. Their focus in on helping their patients be able to perform whatever skills or tasks their patients see as necessary to their lives. What does this mean for their patients?
Knowing the philosophy and approach of a clinic or therapists is important in choosing the right therapist.
These clinics aren’t worried about abstract ideas of ‘healthy’ ‘not-healthy’, or ‘normal’ ‘not-normal’. They are worried about the specific needs of each patient. Basically it comes down to a focus on helping the patient get the most out of their body, so they can go on with their life.
To some people, this philosophy will sound like common sense, for others it will sound ridiculous. How can ‘healthy’ be an abstract? Why shouldn’t a therapist seek to return them to ‘normal’? If you feel this way, then a clinic or practice with this name probably is not right for you.
If, however, you feel that your treatment should focus on getting you to the best you can possibly be – whether or not the best you can be matches up with anyone else’s idea of ‘normal’ or ‘healthy’, then a clinic or therapist who embraces this philosophy may be just right for your needs.

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.

Lose 40 pounds in a month; three inches in three weeks; two kilos in two days. Everywhere you look its people talking about losing weight. But what if you don’t have any weight to lose?! What if it’s the other way round?! The major problem with those of us on the skinny side is that half the world doesn’t “see” our problem. We get pointed at for being stick thin and get accusatory looks from the well-endowed beings. However there is no sense of complacency we can get out of this, for what we are is not what you could classify as fit. Due to the lack of information/ guidance on the issue of weight gain, or merely common misconceptions, what most of us generally do is to go for the most obvious method to gain weight: eating; and more often than not: binge eating. That is where we make the mistake. Although eating definitely would help initiate the process of gaining weight, over eating would only lead to a bloated appetite and a bloated us! The more advisable thing to do would, therefore, be to consult an expert, be it a trainer or a doctor. For when it comes to our body, it is best (and safest) not to play around and experiment!

How many times has it been that we go on a shopping spree whenever we lose a few inches only to find the effort wasted soon after? In this mad rush to the size zero figure, we fail to strike that perfect regime that is going to keep us size zero, (or our own version of the perfect figure). Thanks to this, even when we do get there, we are not there to stay!

So the question is how we maintain the ideal weight we’ve once achieved. The answer is, just the way we lost it! If your weight loss was gradual, maintaining it won’t be a big issue. Since what you’ve been doing over a long period of time becomes a habit and your body gets used to it. However, if your weight loss was the drastic result of some crash diet or an insane exercise routine, maintaining it becomes a little tricky since it is virtually impossible to continue with a crash diet all life and very easy for your body to bounce back to its ‘normal’ self! It is therefore advisable to lose weight in a healthy way so that it becomes easier to keep it off.

So no matter how difficult losing weight may be, the real challenge lies in maintaining it and requires much effort and commitment, especially because the effort is visible only in the inconspicuousness of change. What may make it easier and even enjoyable is doing it with a group of people, or perhaps a friend. That way you can share strategies and keep a tab on each other. Also it is imperative that you discard binge eating or eating as a response to emotional instabilities. It is healthy to indulge yourself once in a while; it is over indulgence that usually does it.

So if you’ve been weight cycling till now, it is time to stop. And stop at the right weight.

Save the effort. And the money!