A Guide to Occupational Therapy

Very rarely do events in our lives unfold the way that we expect. Unfortunately, illness, disability, and injury can all impact our ability to engage in our everyday life normally. Many individuals that suffer from a serious illness or disability often feel like things might never be the same.

Although things may change for you and the beloved individuals around you, occupational therapy can help you reclaim ownership over your typical everyday life after an injury or illness. The professionals from our occupational therapy center in Pinecrest Progressive Therapy Center, can help you recover your previous form and function in ways you didn’t know were possible.

If you remain curious about how occupational therapy works and how it can help you, Progressive Therapy Center wants to outline some information introducing readers to the wonderful modality that is occupational therapy.

What is OT? How can it Help?

Occupational therapy helps individuals that experience challenges with their health by re-engaging them with meaningful daily activities. These activities might include anything from bathing and changing independently to cooking a meal for yourself or a loved one.

Occupational therapists focus on individual patients as a whole. This plays a vital role in helping you influence your health and wellness. However, OT works to do this in the ways that matter most to you as a unique individual.

Our occupational therapy center in Pinecrest believes that an essential part of the healing process involves participation in what matters most to patients. For children, this could reflect playing catch with dad, or a friend. For an adult, this could mean taking a hot bath at the end of the day, or preparing food for friends and loved one.

This is what occupational therapy specialists refer to as meaningful daily activities. These represent the essential building blocks of everyday life. Unfortunately, these seemingly simple tasks often become very difficult after an injury, disability, or illness. Occupational therapy helps you develop the skills to participate in these meaningful daily activities with renewed vigor and confidence.

What Does Treatment from an Occupational Therapy Center in Pinecrest Entail?

Occupational therapy work will vary based on your unique condition. However, the treatment process still follows a specific flow.

OT will begin with an evaluation. This procedure is not that unlike a typical visit with a primary care physician. Your therapist will collect information based on your medical history, current health status, as well as any activities where you experience limitations.

The occupational therapy center in Pinecrest and their staff can then utilize this information while outlining a care plan. This will involve setting specific goals, in addition to the techniques they can use to achieve these goals.

Subsequent treatments will focus on providing a varied combination of physical, emotional, and cognitive therapeutic intervention. An OT will also consider whether or not altering environment and activity can help you set up for optimal success.

When the occupational therapy center in Pinecrest finally discharges you from care, this means that you likely no longer need the skilled oversight from an OT. However, patient discharge does not mean your journey to recovery is over with.  Your specialist may prescribe some at-home techniques that you can use to ensure optimal success as time goes on.

An occupational therapy center in Pinecrest can also offer you continuing education on some things you can avoid that may prevent injury or condition recurrence.

How Does OT Differ from PT?

Occupational therapists and physical therapists are very similar. Many PTs offer occupational therapy as a part of their total service package. Nonetheless, both modalities seek to help patients return to their prior level of function after an injury or other condition.

The critical difference between the modalities resides in practice. OT focuses more on improving daily activities and functionality while PT concentrates on specific improvements regarding particular bodily movements.

Physical therapists might help patients work on their posture or specific activities like stair training. These modalities help a patient walk normally as not to reoccur injury and engage in these activities to operate safely.

Contrarily an occupational therapy center in Pinecrest will focus on how these abilities help a patient with their normal tasks. This could include maintaining a clean home, or the ability to reach upstairs bedrooms.

Progressive Therapy Center – Occupational Therapy Center in Pinecrest

Rehabilitating physically is a team effort and not something you should endure alone. Patients often demonstrate the best results with a combination of physical and occupational therapeutic modalities. Depending on your unique needs, you may require collaboration between specialists at a specific facility for preeminent recovery.

This is where a facility like our team from Progressive Therapy Center can step in to help. We focus on aiding patients to their best recoveries in the most welcoming environment possible. At our practice in the heart of Pinecrest, our team will make you feel at home, like a member of our family.

When you enlist Progressive Therapy Center as your occupational therapy center in Pinecrest, you gain a team of advocates on behalf of your health and wellness. You can experience the difference between personalized, unique treatment for your pain condition, and remaining a name on a chart receiving treatment from another medical professional.

For more information on how our occupational therapy center in Pinecrest can help you, contact our dedicated and caring team today!