It can happen to anyone. Walking across the parking lot, your feet fly out from under you on an unseen icy patch. When you try to get up, you realize you can’t walk – and you’re on your way to the hospital for emergency care. A physical therapist will likely be one of the providers on your care team.

In recognition of National Physical Therapy Month in October, Amy Horn, PT, DPT, GCS, of Aultman Physical Therapy, discusses what to expect from physical therapy in the hospital and beyond.

The basic overarching goal of physical therapy (PT) is to help people restore function and return to their daily lives after injury or illness. PT can take place across multiple settings, each of which has a slightly different focus of care.

Aultman Health System’s team, which include physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, work together to help each patient achieve their personalized goals. Aultman offers many specialty PT services to treat a wide variety of conditions, including vestibular (inner ear) issues, concussions, pelvic floor dysfunction, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, orthopedic injuries and surgeries and more.

In the hospital setting where I work, the major focus of PT treatment is on helping patients relearn basic mobility tasks that are necessary in the home environment. Being able to get into and out of bed, stand up from a chair, walk to the bathroom or kitchen and climb the stairs are all examples of skills that a person needs to successfully return home.

Physical therapists work with patients all over the hospital - in the emergency department, intensive care unit, same day surgery unit, on the nursing floors and just about everywhere in between.

Most hospital stays tend to be short, and sometimes a patient needs more time and therapy intervention to progress to a level at which going home is a safe plan. In such cases, we look at other options. We ask questions such as:

• Does the person have a family member or friend who could be taught to provide physical assistance to the person?

• Would using an assistive device (such as a walker) or making modifications to the home (like installing a ramp at the entry) help?

• Does the person need to be discharged to another inpatient setting for additional therapy?

Physical therapists take many factors like these into consideration, working with Aultman’s occupational and speech therapy colleagues and our case management and social work team.

For patients who need additional inpatient therapy before returning home, an inpatient rehab setting such as Aultman Woodlawn may be an option. Physical therapists in inpatient rehab focus on a similar overall goal of helping the patient return home safely, with longer and more intense therapy sessions and family training.

For patients who cannot tolerate the higher intensity therapy of acute rehab but cannot yet safely return home, going to a skilled nursing facility is another option.

Patients who can safely return home but still have therapy needs may benefit from home health physical therapist or outpatient physical therapist. Both services can also be accessed without needing a hospital stay first.

Home health physical therapy is for patients who are considered homebound – meaning they cannot easily leave the home – and continues to help each patient function safely in the home environment.

Outpatient physical therapy is what most people think of when they hear the phrase “physical therapy.” Outpatient therapists use a variety of interventions such as therapeutic exercise, balance training and manual therapy to help patients recover from injury, surgery and other conditions.

Visit Aultman’s Physical Therapy page for more information.