POINT PLEASANT — Pleasant Valley Hospital is celebrating National Physical Therapy Month, a nationwide event which is held each October and is sponsored by the American Physical Therapy Association.

The theme of this year is “Physical Therapy Brings Motion to Life.” Physical therapists at PVH follow this theme by striving to help patients restore and improve motion as well as achieve a long-term quality of life.

“I am extremely proud of my therapists who positively impact the lives of our patients,” Debra Long, director of rehabilitation services, said. “They work well as team and have made considerable contributions to the ‘Family of Professionals.’ They have placed many individuals on the road to recovery.”

Freedom of motion and the ability to move normally is an important component of a normal life and people often take it for granted until it is lost. Physical therapists are experts in the way the body moves, so they can improve an individual’s quality of life by helping them to move freely so they can do the things they want to do without pain or discomfort. Physical therapists are licensed health care professionals who can help patients restore mobility — in many cases without expensive surgery or the side effects of prescription medication. More than 92 percent of the 210 accredited academic institutions nationwide offering professional physical therapy educations now offer Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degrees. Physical Therapy Assistants graduate with an associate’s degree and perform various treatments.

Physical Therapists provide care for people in a vast array of settings, including outpatient clinics, home health agencies, nursing homes, private practices, schools and fitness facilities. At PVH, therapists offer care in a vast array of settings including outpatient facilities in three counties, Mason and Jackson and Meigs County, Ohio. Additionally, patients are treated while in the hospital and therapists assist in the decision if they go home or to a rehabilitation or nursing home facility. PVH also offers physical therapy services at Pleasant Valley Home Health and rehabilitation options through the Pleasant Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

PVH therapists can treat patients of all ages. Several areas of specialties include manual therapy, McKenzie approach, wound care, vestibular/balance rehab, surgical rehab, pediatrics, work-related injuries, sports injuries, neurological diagnoses and aquatic therapy.

During Physical Therapy Month, the rehabilitation experts at Pleasant Valley Hospital would like to promote a higher quality of life.

If you are experiencing an injury or pain that would warrant physical therapy then please contact your family physician or our rehabilitation experts, 304-675-8639.