The human body has more than 600 muscles, which might be surprising to some. But if you have issues with everyday tasks and activities, then it can feel like you’ve got thousands of muscles that aren’t working correctly. And this can have a tremendous impact on your life, especially if you’ve got work.
You can fix this with occupational therapy though. What is occupational therapy? It’s healthcare that focuses on helping you overcome physical, emotional, and cognitive challenges.
Want to learn more? Then read on to see the benefits you can get from occupational therapy.
Decrease Pain
Pain is usually the number one factor that hinders people from leading a normal life. And occupational therapy can help here.
It might sound like OT does the same thing as physical therapy, but there’s one main difference: therapists strive to educate patients and help them make changes. Physical therapy only tackles the disease/injury.
Your therapist can make you aware of improper body positionings you might have never thought about. They can also show you stretching techniques.
Improve Range of Motion and Strength
In addition to pain, stiffness, and weakness can have a significant impact on your life. An occupational therapist can assist with both passive and active range of motion.
Plus, they can use compensatory prevention techniques that build strength. As a result, this can lead to more independence.
Decrease Health Risks
When helping patients, occupational therapists perform OT evaluations to determine what the biggest obstacles are in their patients’ everyday lives. From there, they can form a treatment plan that decreases health risks.
These therapists can also teach healthy habits and routines to further push down these risks.
Get Adaptive Equipment
It’s ok to need someone to help you with everyday activities. But there are pieces of adaptive equipment that can make things easier, and therefore, make you less reliant on others.
For example, if you don’t have much strength in your hands, an OT may suggest you get a jar opener. Or if you can’t stand for long, or don’t have good balance, they might get you a shower chair.
Improve Your Visual Skills
Unfortunately, our eyesight can deteriorate with time, and certain diseases and conditions can accelerate this. It can be devastating to lose your sight, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to give up your independence.
For instance, an occupational therapist can teach you how to scan and pre-read things to make reading easier. You won’t have to ask others to see what things say.
Try Occupational Therapy for Yourself
Occupational therapy has numerous benefits that lead to a healthier and more independent lifestyle. Not only can you decrease pain and improve your range of motion and strength, but you can also get adaptive equipment and improve your visual skills.
So if you’ve been feeling down about your situation, it’s time to take action. With a few sessions of OT, you’ll see a huge difference!
Check out our other blog posts if you want to keep improving your health.
