Stay on your feet with physical therapy

Physical therapy services can relieve pain, improve joint mobility, strength, endurance, balance, and coordination by guiding their patients through exercises.

Managing pain and regaining mobility
Physical therapists guide their patients through gentle stretching, muscle strengthening and body mechanic exercises. Other traditional methods include cold treatments like ice packs, ice baths, ice massage and heat treatments such as hot water baths and heating pads. Cervical and lumbar traction options are also available. 

Technological advancements have created additional massage equipment options to help Veterans reach their goals towards pain management and recovery. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation or “TENS” units use low-voltage electrical current for pain relief. Therapeutic Ultrasound (TU) is a non-invasive procedure delivering high-frequency sound waves to treat musculoskeletal conditions like tendinitis and arthritis. Vibration therapy uses mechanical vibrations at several thousand times per second to improve muscle strength, bone density and balance. 

 Regaining full function
Navy Veteran Jenelle McGuigan has been coming to physical therapy for her back after two surgeries. Once she completed the physical therapy sessions for her back with her physical therapist, Robert Nelson III, she could then concentrate on strengthening her hip and was referred to physical therapy again. 

After being injured while serving in the Navy in Norfolk, Virginia, McGuigan is looking forward to reaching full function again, which for her means four to five days a week at the gym and lifting weights. 

“I used to row 45 minutes to an hour at a time on a stationary rowing machine. I actually just asked [Nelson] if I’d be able to row again, and he was like, ‘Why wouldn’t you be able to?’”

Returning pain or limited mobility
Pain and decreased mobility can return years after successfully using Physical Therapy. Avoiding activities that cause you pain without therapeutic exercise can lead to a more rapid decline in mobility. Whether you have previously been through physical therapy in the past or not, if you are avoiding pain or becoming concerned about your mobility, ask your care team for a physical therapy consult. 

Walk with confidence
“We help a lot of Veterans with chronic low back pain or post-surgical pain, but we also help them with balance, dizziness, vertigo, and things of that nature,” says Kendall Noble, Supervisor of Rehabilitation at Coatesville VA.

Veterans diagnosed with neuropathy and who can’t feel their feet at all have a new option that may allow them to walk with more confidence and reduce the risk of falling. We offer a wearable prosthetic that slides into your shoe like a sole insert that wraps around your ankle. It will vibrate to alert the wearer when their feet are about to make contact with something. 

Eligibility and accessing care
Veterans who are registered for care at the Coatesville VA are eligible for Physical Therapy services and can simply ask for a referral from their care team during their next appointment.