Physical Therapy for Seniors: Benefits, Tips, and More

When you think of physical therapy, you might think it is just for someone who is recovering from a stroke, accident, or other medical emergency. Physical therapy interventions are certainly used for these instances, but there are plenty of other situations where the right physical therapy exercises and support can enhance mobility, strength, balance, endurance, and more.

Today, physical therapy is a foundational part of an interdisciplinary team that evaluates and treats older adults. From fall prevention to chronic condition management to enhanced independence, physical therapy sessions are designed to build strength and confidence in the face of challenges that might come with aging.

More and more research demonstrates that seeking out physical therapy before a fall or medical crisis is the best choice. Preventive physical therapy can help reduce pain, build balance, and even decrease the risk of injury if there is a fall or other medical emergency.

What Is Senior (Geriatric) Physical Therapy?

Physical therapists treat people of all ages, from infants to seniors. However, there is some nuance to treatment protocol based on age and ability. Physical therapists who focus on older adults are more experienced with challenges that come with aging and chronic conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, and heart disease. This advanced knowledge can lead to adjusting exercises and treatment in order to not only treat current symptoms, but also prevent decline as much as possible.

Physical therapists who specialize in treating older adults focus on each individual patient, writing treatment goals, exercises, and protocols specifically for their challenges and abilities. However, it is common for physical therapists to incorporate these goals into treatment plans:

• Improving mobility and range of motion
• Improving balance and stability while moving and while being still
• Reducing pain
• Preventing deconditioning, which can be more common in sedentary older adults
• Enhancing independence in activities of daily living, including transferring, walking, and standing

Where Seniors Receive Physical Therapy

Older adults can access physical therapy in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings, which can lower the barrier of entry for seniors who might struggle with transportation, motivation, or other obstacles.

Depending on the needs and prescription of a senior, they can find physical therapy at any of these:

• Outpatient clinics
• Home care agencies that offer medical services
• Senior living communities, including assisted living, skilled care, and even some independent living communities
• Hospitals, which often offer both inpatient and outpatient services

Physical therapy is often covered by Medicare and private insurance. However, it is important that you double-check with your provider in order to ensure you know what, if any, payment will be your responsibility.

If you are receiving physical therapy services that are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or other private insurance, you will need a prescription from your physician. In addition, you will review your goals with the physical therapist. Once a goal is met, if it is not extended or adjusted, you could find that your insurance coverage stops.

Core Benefits of Physical Therapy for Seniors

Physical therapy should be a regular part of any older adult’s medical routine. Working with a therapist has many benefits, all of which support independence.

1. Improving Mobility, Flexibility & Strength

As we age, we can find ourselves feeling more stiff and sore than in our younger years. You might relate to this if you’ve ever felt your body feel more “creaky” than usual when you wake up in the morning, or that you need to do active stretching before heading out on your morning run when you never had to do that in your 20s. This stiffness is natural as we age, but we don’t have to simply live with it. The right interventions, including physical therapy, can help older adults feel less stiff and increase their range of motion.

Physical therapists working with seniors to improve mobility and strength look at the senior’s daily routine and environment before developing a treatment plan that supports independence and confidence moving through their day. Depending on what the senior needs, a therapist might focus on stretching and range-of-motion (both active and passive) exercises, lower-body strengthening, and functional training.

2. Effective Pain Management Without Heavy Reliance on Medication

The right physical therapy interventions can also be a part of a plan to reduce chronic pain, strengthen weak muscles, increase range of motion, and help to stabilize joints. Seniors living with arthritis and other chronic pain can find that physical therapy exercises help them reduce their daily pain, and sometimes even reduce their medication regimen.

Depending on the needs and pain of the senior, physical therapists might work on range-of-motion exercises, joint stabilization exercises, and stretching. Interventions will typically include exercises to complete at home as well as massage in the sessions.

3. Fall Prevention and Balance Improvement

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 1 in every 4 seniors falls annually, making falls one of the most dangerous parts of aging. The good news, however, is that many falls can be prevented thanks to home adjustments and physical therapy.

Physical therapy for seniors focuses on the basics of fall prevention: lower body and core strength, balance, mobility and flexibility, and reduction in sedentary behaviors. Seniors can benefit from physical therapy in their local clinic as well as completing recommended exercises at home daily.

Physical therapists work on building strength and confidence, focusing on static and dynamic balance training, gait training, posture correction, and coordination. In addition, they work to ensure any mobility device is fitted to the senior and that the senior knows how to safely use the device at home on their own.

4. Faster, Safer Recovery After Surgery or Injury

When an older adult stays at the hospital for a few days, whether to recover from a planned surgery or an unplanned medical emergency, they leave the hospital deconditioned and weaker. Physical therapy in the hospital and then outpatient visits after discharge are imperative to ensure the senior can return to their previous abilities and be safe at home.

Physical therapy after hospitalizations focuses on building back that strength base, with exercises that restore mobility, reduce swelling, and relearn safe movement patterns. Just as importantly, physical therapy also helps to give the senior back their confidence so that they can safely move about their home and return to their routine as quickly as possible.

5. Managing Chronic Health Conditions

Physical therapy after a hospital stay is often the norm, but physical therapy can also benefit older adults who live with chronic health conditions. Physical therapy interventions are personalized to what the senior needs, as well as how their conditions affect their daily life, and can support an older adult who lives with arthritis, heart disease, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, and others.

Consistent therapy sessions can improve outcomes as well as give the therapist a chance to notice any decline and address it immediately.

6. Boosting Mental Health, Mood & Confidence

There’s a natural endorphin release that comes with any exercise, which can lead to seniors feeling good when they leave their physical therapy session. This mood boosting effect can help to combat anxiety and depression, but perhaps most importantly, physical therapy sessions can increase the confidence and self-esteem of patients.

Seniors who are at risk of falling are often afraid of falling, which leads them to stay on the couch much more. This sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of falling, which makes it a vicious cycle that often ends in a scared, anxious senior with an even higher risk of falling at home. In contrast, a confident senior who feels capable and strong is more likely to have a more active lifestyle with more socialization opportunities. 

7. Increasing Long-Term Independence and Quality of Life

Finally, regular physical therapy sessions (and completing recommended exercises at home) can lead to increased independence and quality of life. Seniors who work on strength, balance, and mobility with their physical therapist are more likely to be able to independently complete activities of daily living as well as maintain their hobbies and social calendar. 

An active lifestyle that they can keep up with on their own leads to feeling capable, which leads to a better quality of life. 

Common Types of Physical Therapy Exercises for Seniors

While no two senior physical therapy patients are alike, there are some common exercises and interventions that you might see in a session. Again, each treatment protocol is written based on the senior’s needs, abilities, and challenges.

Flexibility & Stretching Movements

Flexibility can help with joint alignment, reduce pain and stiffness, as well as improve mobility. Often, flexibility can be enhanced by stretching, though patients might not always stretch the area where they feel the most pain or stiffness. Instead, therapists will seek to understand the source of the pain and address that area as well.

Stretching movements might include stretching the hamstrings, hip flexors, and lower back.

Strength Training

Strength training can be used not only after a hospital stay, but also to decrease the risk of falling and to increase independence at home. Exercises typically focus on the glutes, quads, and core muscles. Interventions might include supported sit-to-stand repetitions, leg lifts, and hip bridges.

Endurance & Cardiovascular Training

Building endurance can benefit not only those living with heart disease but also seniors looking to become more active. Physical therapists can program exercises such as walking or using a stationary bike.

Balance & Stability Training

Balance, whether while moving or standing still, is important for every older adult to work on as a part of their wellness routine. Physical therapists will program balance and stability work into almost all of their appointments, increasing the difficulty level by working with seniors on different surfaces (gravel, linoleum, stairs, softer carpet, etc.) as the senior is ready.

Common exercises include marching, weight shifting, and tandem walking. Coordination is often a focus of balance sessions as well. 

Tips to Stay Physically Active Between PT Sessions

Physical therapy sessions are ideal for showing a therapist your abilities and talking about what challenges or worries you might have. However, you shouldn’t only be working on physical therapy exercises during your sessions. Seniors can benefit by maintaining an active lifestyle in between sessions.

When possible, add daily movement into your routine. Work on your recommended exercises after breakfast, for example, and go through your stretching routine before bed. Walking around the house, or around the block, as well as tasks like cleaning, doing laundry, and gardening, are also excellent ways to boost your activity between appointments.

Your physical therapist will give recommendations not only for exercises to perform at home, but also for the frequency that will be safest for you. Listen to them and brainstorm how to meet their recommendations with a friend or family member. 

During your sessions with your physical therapist, talk about what you are doing to stay active as well as what you’ve noticed. You should also tell them if you are feeling sore or exhausted after a workout.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does physical therapy specifically help seniors?

Physical therapy can not only help with recovery after a hospital stay, stroke, or surgery, but can also support independence, reduce fall risk, reduce pain, improve balance, and increase confidence.

Are physical therapy exercises safe?

Physical therapists treat each individual patient based on that person’s abilities, challenges, and condition. They will prescribe and oversee safe exercises, increasing duration or difficulty only when the senior is able to tolerate it.

What exercises should seniors avoid?

Seniors should avoid exercises that are too challenging for their balance, strength, and endurance. Physical therapists can prescribe the right exercises that are challenging without being dangerous as a part of a safe and well-rounded treatment plan. 

How Senior Living Communities Support Physical Therapy Success

Premier senior living communities often offer physical therapy services onsite in the community. Therapists are a part of the senior living community’s extended family and often lead educational sessions and balance testing in addition to treating residents based on their individual goals.

At Legend Senior Living, we work closely with our physical therapy teams to ensure that residents receive the support and oversight they need to be as independent as possible. Stop by a residence near you to learn more about our physical therapy services.