Physical therapy

Get one-on-one support to move and feel better so you can return to your favorite activities. At Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, you’ll receive professional, skilled guidance from a licensed physical therapist or licensed physical therapy assistant, so you reach your best outcome.

Benefits of physical therapy (PT)

Physical therapy at Community Hospital helps teens and adults recover after an injury, surgery, or health condition that affects their ability to move. Through PT, you may:

• Build muscle strength to prevent future injuries
• Restore balance, flexibility, and coordination
• Ease pain and decrease reliance on medications
• Reduce the need for surgery or other medical procedures

Do I need PT?

Your doctor may recommend physical therapy if you experience conditions such as:

• Chronic pain, especially in the back, neck, or joints
• Lymphedema (leg, foot, or arm swelling)
• Orthopedic or athletic injuries, such as plantar fasciitis
• Neurological conditions, such as stroke or Parkinson’s disease
• Pelvic floor disorders, such as incontinence (problems controlling bladder or bowels) or pelvic organ prolapse (like a slipped uterus)
• Vestibular issues, such as dizziness or trouble balancing

Evaluation

Your physical therapist will start by evaluating your needs, obstacles, and goals. During your first appointment, expect to:

• Talk about your symptoms, lifestyle, and environment at home, work, or school
• Receive a physical exam
• Do simple exercises to show your strength, flexibility, balance, or coordination

Your physical therapy plan

Based on your evaluation results, your therapist will recommend a treatment plan. You may regain mobility or reduce pain with:

• Aquatic therapy, in which you do guided exercises in a shallow pool of warm water that supports your joints, allowing you to move more freely
• Changes to your everyday activities or posture to help you feel more comfortable
• Exercises that build strength and flexibility
• Heat or cold therapy to relieve aching muscles
• Hands-on, soft-tissue mobilization that relaxes stiff or tight areas of the body, breaks up scar tissue to reduce pain, or drains built-up lymphatic fluid to decrease swelling
• Kinesio taping, which applies strips of tape to certain areas of the body to decompress tissue below the skin and decrease pain

During each appointment, you’ll receive treatment and one-on-one guidance as you work toward your goals. If a loved one cares for you, invite them to therapy so you can both learn more about your condition and how to make progress with exercises at home.

Settings for physical therapy

Physical therapy may take place on an:

• Inpatient basis to help you start recovering during an overnight stay at Community Hospital, especially after orthopedic surgery
• In our William R. Lewis, MD, Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, a special area of the hospital where you stay for about two weeks of daily therapy
• Outpatient basis, in which you visit one of our locations for therapy appointments and go home afterward

If you receive inpatient rehabilitation, you’ll likely progress to outpatient therapy as you make progress toward your goals.