In practice, restorative therapy is a holistic approach that has patient well-being at its heart. It seeks to boost patients’ overall psychological, mental, and physical well-being, and give them the best possible quality of life.
Restorative therapy is a term that houses a number of different forms of treatment. Treatments provided by physical therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapy, and therapeutic exercise are all considered restorative therapy.
Any of these types of therapies can be leveraged in a multimodal treatment strategy, meaning that restorative therapy is often used in combination with other treatments such as injections, epidurals, or counseling. Restorative therapies have been proved to result in more positive clinical outcomes if used as part of a multidisciplinary or multimodal treatment plan.
Studies also show that the combination of restorative therapies can help provide pain relief, particularly low back pain relief for two to 18 months.
One of the greatest values of restorative therapy is that it helps patients maintain functionality.
Quality of life can quickly be altered when a patient is living with pain and the daily activities that may be simple can become physically difficult and uncomfortable.
Integrating restorative therapy can help patients regain their sense of independence and normalcy even if they suffer from a chronic condition.
Benefits of Restorative Programs
Improved Physical Health
Physical therapy has enormous benefits in terms of helping to improve muscle and bone strength, balance, and coordination. This kind of occupational therapy also has important stress-reducing benefits.
Restorative Exercises
Doing stretching and breathing exercises, as in yoga, restores health and reinvigorates you. Gentle aerobics gets your heart and lungs working together to help keep you mobile for longer, making walking easier to maintain and improving mobility.
Even going for a short walk around the garden or in a park helps keep you fit ad active. If you can do such activities in the company of others, so much the better.
Improved Mental Health
Recovery from surgery, injury, chronic pain, or illnesses is hard on the body, but it’s also hard on the mind as it alters your daily living. Any rehabilitation care that can lift the spirits and keep you engaged is a positive. Restorative therapy and restorative services have a role to play in achieving this, in part through recreation therapy.
Restorative Activities
Recreation therapy for the mind can help restore function, helping to improve and maintain health. Playing board games, celebrating someone’s birthday, or enjoying a concert are activities that stimulate conversation and keep you mentally agile.
Pet therapy, where patients get to play with, or stroke, tame animals, is also a great restorative and calming activity.
What a Restorative Therapy Program Can Do
Chronic Pain Relief Utilizing Physical Therapy
It is estimated that over 20% of Americans suffer from chronic pain. That means 50 million adults in the United States are faced with pain on a daily basis for an extended period of time.
There is an unfortunate yet common notion that pain management necessitates the use of narcotics. Many people are unaware of the life-changing therapies that fall under the umbrella of pain management which require no prescription narcotics.
Although some conditions may be more receptive to integrated treatment practices such as a restorative program than others, there are so many treatment options available to help treat chronic pain without the use of prescriptions.
- Therapeutic Exercise: Therapeutic exercise is often part of restorative programs can include physical therapy or forms of group exercise. There is an added biopsychosocial treatment approach to therapeutic exercise to help patients understand the secondary pathologies involved including anxiety or fear of movement or ones physical abilities, which can contribute to pain and disabilities.
- Massage Therapy: Massage Therapy can be very effective in reducing pain. Massage therapy helps to increase blood flow and oxygen to the muscles and reduce inflammation even on a myofascial, deep tissue level. Various studies have shown that consistent massage therapy can help relieve chronic pain.
Restorative Nursing Program
Restorative nursing programs are programs developed to assist facilities in nursing interventions and skilled nursing for improved patient care and the delivery of those interventions that promote a resident’s ability to function at their highest level.
Restorative nursing provides interventions that promote a resident’s ability to adapt and adjust to living as independently as possible and can include rehabilitation therapy related to speech therapy, physical therapy, improvement of short-term care, or a variety of other holistic interventions.
Restorative nursing focuses on activities that promote psychosocial, physical, and mental well-being.
PRP Treatment
PRP or platelet-rich plasma is the liquid part of your blood that’s mostly made of water and protein. It lets red and white blood cells and platelets move through your bloodstream. Platelets are a type of blood cell that makes your blood clot. They also play a role in healing.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can be used on injuries or damage to tendons, ligaments, muscles, joints, and skin.
To collect plasma, a doctor draws blood from your body and uses a machine to separate the platelet-rich plasma from the rest of the blood. Then the doctor numbs the area of your body being treated with PRP injections. Once you’re numb, the doctor uses a needle to inject your plasma into the area of your body being treated.
Once platelets are in the area that’s being treated, they break down and release growth factors, which are compounds that help cells repair and renew. This is thought to trigger your body’s healing process.
Super-charge Your Self Healing
Improve the signs and symptoms of injury, disease, and other medical concerns with targeted tissue delivery, individual consultation, and products designed to support your body on the journey to recovery.
At Tucson Wellness, we provide targeted treatment that enables your body to heal itself. Restorative therapy can provide relief from chronic pain and may also be used in lieu of surgery so you can live your best life. Learn more and get started today by continuing to explore our website.
