Physical Therapy After a Fracture
Sep 13, 2023
If you have experienced a bone fracture after an accident or a fall, there are many things that you will need to take care of to ensure a quick recovery. This includes physical therapy, possible surgeries, pain management, and the use of a cast. Physical therapy for fractures is important to improve your range of motion, mobility, and strength. The type and duration of physical therapy will depend on a number of factors, such as which bone is fractured and the severity of the damage.
There really isn’t a difference between a bone fracture and a broken bone. Both terms are often used interchangeably. Sometimes doctors will use the term bone fracture for broken bones caused by excessive force. This can happen while playing sports, falling, or being in a car accident. The complexity of recovering from a bone fracture depends on the severity and whether surgery is required.
Physical and occupational therapy are particularly important for hip fractures. Many hip fractures require surgery because of how many months of bed rest would be required to allow hip fractures the time required to heal on its own. Physical therapy can provide pain relief from hip fracture, as well as help patients learn to walk again in a way that promotes healing after surgery.
There are many physical therapy exercises for wrist fractures that don’t require any specialized equipment to perform. This includes exercises that stretch, extend, and bend your wrist and hands in specific ways that help to improve mobility and strengthen your wrist. Your physical therapist might also teach you specific exercises to improve the strength of your grip.
You may not even realize that you may need or benefit from physical therapy for a collarbone fractures. Typically, physical therapy can be started three to four weeks after you injured your clavicle. The physical therapist will create a customized plan of care that will address your condition and goals. Often, physical therapy for collarbone fractures requires that you perform static exercises at home each day.
There are many types of arm fractures. If you fracture one of the bones in your forearm, you could have fractured your radius or ulna. The bone in the upper arm is referred to as the humerus. After your injury is treated and your arm mobilized, a physical therapist might visit you in the hospital to teach you about pendulum exercises that can keep your shoulder mobile as your arm heals. You will likely need to start physical therapy four to six weeks after the initial injury.
Leg fractures very often require physical therapy to regain the same amount of function that you had before the injury. The actual physical therapy exercises will look different than you would expect from other types of bone fractures. This includes learning how to walk and put weight on your injured leg, gait training, and strength exercises.
Manhattan Physical Therapy and Pain Center is a leader in pain relief and injury recovery, and we look forward to helping you with all your physical therapy goals. Call us at (212) 213-3480 or contact us today to set an appointment.