7 Physical Therapy Treatments for Enhanced Strength and Healing

Whether you need to heal from an injury or you want to enhance your strength with customized treatments, physical therapy (PT) helps you reach your goals. Physical therapy strengthens and stretches your muscles, ligaments, and tendons so you move better, more safely, and more confidently.

You might be prescribed physical therapy if you’re injured in an accident or after surgery. Physical therapy is helpful for musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, sprains and strains, and poor balance. Biohackers and professional athletes use PT treatments, too, to optimize their health and maximize strength. 

No matter where you are on the physical spectrum, you could benefit from PT at Advanced Medical Care. At our offices in Queens and Brooklyn, New York, our caring team provides PT for both recovery and optimization, offering a number of effective treatments to help you heal and enhance your strength.

What are some top PT treatments for strength and healing? Here are seven of them.

1. Acupuncture

Acupuncture uses a series of strategically placed, ultra-thin, single-use needles to stimulate the release of healing chemicals in your body. Acupuncture is an essential tool in traditional Chinese medicine, which focuses on giving your body the support it needs to strengthen and heal itself.

Acupuncture can treat all kinds of pain and injuries, including lower back pain. However, athletes also use it to enhance human performance. Studies have shown that acupuncture helps increase muscle strength in the shoulders, legs, and hands. 

2. Light therapy

Red light therapy is often used to alleviate muscle pain. This therapy has been shown to increase collagen and speed wound healing due to its effects on tissue growth.

Red light therapy also subdues inflammation. If you have an injury, red light may accelerate your healing so you can get back to your game as soon as possible. It’s also used as an anti-aging treatment.

3. Cold laser therapy

Cold laser therapy, also known as low-light laser therapy (LLLT), is another pain treatment that can also stimulate muscle growth. Studies demonstrate that applying LLLT before exercise: 

• Improves lower-limb strength
• Improves bicep strength
• Decreases muscle soreness
• Improves VO2 kinetic outcomes
• Decreases time to fatigue

You can use LLLT to improve strength before performance. It also aids in a speedier recovery, particularly after intense workouts. 

4. Electrical stimulation

What if you could work your muscles without lifting a feather? Electrical stimulation sends currents of electricity through your muscles to contract them passively. One study showed a significant improvement in muscle contraction when compared to a control group of athletes. 

Whether you’re an elite athlete or you’ve never played a game in your life, electrical stimulation can help you gain strength with minimal effort. However, it’s important to remember that exercise itself has benefits that extend beyond muscle strength. Electrical stimulation can be an adjunct to training, but it isn’t a substitute for it.

5. Manual traction and joint mobilization

Manual traction and joint mobilization are hands-on therapies that your physical therapist performs to reduce pain and improve the range of motion of your joints. Our therapists use a variety of techniques — including gentle pressure, pulling, and high-speed thrusting — which can help improve arthritis pain as well as with healing and recovery from joint injuries. 

6. Therapeutic ultrasound

Sound waves can warm your muscles and surrounding tissues. Ultrasound can speed up healing by stimulating the production of collagen and elastin. It also tones down inflammation, helps your body regenerate tissue, and can be used at trigger points to relieve pain.

7. Massage

Athletes have used manual massage to enhance recovery since at least ancient Greece. The old-world physical therapists massaged their athletes with olive oil before competitions to warm up the tissues and prevent injuries.

Our experienced therapists also use manual massage for pain control. Regular massages may also improve sleep, which aids in recovery and muscle rehabilitation.

Are you ready to enhance your strength or accelerate healing with physical therapy? Book a PT evaluation with our team at Advanced Medical Care. Schedule an appointment online or over the phone today.