Commonly Asked Questions
Q. What are physical therapists?
A. Physical therapists are licensed health care professionals, who evaluate and treat people with health problems resulting from disease or injury. They measure many aspects of human function. They assess where the deficits are causing a pain or decreased function. Along with these findings and in conjunction with the doctor's prescription, physical therapists formulate a treatment plan to promote the patients well being.
Q. Do I need a prescription from my doctor to start a physical therapy program?
A. Yes, in the state of New Jersey, physical therapists need a doctor's prescription.
Q. How long are the therapy sessions?
A. The first visit includes the physical therapists evaluation and treatment and it takes approximately one hour, the follow up visits can take approximately 30 minutes depending on your diagnosis..
Q. What are the advantages of aquatic exercises?
A. Increase in range of motion due to water's buoyancy, decrease loading (reducing joint injury), provide a safe arena to increase weight bearing and weight training, pain relief due to muscle relaxation, and muscular re-education to improve power, endurance and/or stability
Q. How can aquatic exercises give me strength?
A. The viscous properties of water are used to provide resistance for therapeutic exercises. If a body accelerates through fluid, the fluid acts more like a solid. Thus, the quicker the limb is moved through the water, the thicker the water feels and the higher the resistance will be. The resistance can also be controlled by varying the surface area of the body part moving against the water. If we add a large paddle on the hand, the water will offer more resistance to movement through the water than the hand alone.
