The field of physical therapy in Buffalo offers a wide variety of opportunities for both aspiring and seasoned therapists.  This is especially true in the outpatient orthopedic field of physical therapy.  While Buffalo’s unique weather and athletic landscape certainly offer rare prospects for specialization within the profession of PT, the population demographic of the area offers several other options.

Being a homeowner in Buffalo can be back breaking work.  While back pain is the most common reason for patients across the country to seek treatment in physical therapy, this is especially true in Buffalo.  Shoveling snow, raking leaves, and working in our gardens place perpetual stress on our bodies.  The repetitious loading from the lifting, pushing, and pulling with these tasks account for a comparatively high percentage of neck pain, back pain, knee pain, and shoulder pain cases we see in our physical therapy offices.   Experts in the treatment of sprains, strains, tendonitis, and disc herniations common with these activities are always in demand.

Our sports teams also provide unique opportunities for physical therapists that are not available in many places outside of Buffalo.  Many don’t realize it but while many professional athletes work with trainers employed by their teams to stay fit and address smaller injuries, their care after any surgeries or more significant injuries take place in the physical therapy facilities across Buffalo.  This area of physical therapy is far larger than just the Bills and Sabres.  Teams like the Bisons, Bandits, as well as our several college and high school teams account for a large proportion of the sports medicine cases seen in the PT clinics of Western New York.   An experienced and highly trained physical therapist will always find a place in this specialty.

Buffalo’s growing senior community is yet another area where the need for physical therapy is expanding.   Simple cases seen in outpatient orthopedic physical therapy may be only a matter of recovering basic strength and endurance after an illness.  More involved cases can range between rehab following a surgical repair of a leg fracture in a patient with multiple medical complications to reducing stress placed upon pinched nerve roots irritated from spinal stenosis.   Buffalo’s physical therapists are also seeing an ever growing number of patients following joint replacement as aged knees, hips, and shoulders break down after years of wear and tear.   Physical therapy focused in optimizing strength and flexibility in the aged tissues of Buffalo’s seniors is an ever growing field

Buffalo provides many opportunities for specialization in the discipline of physical therapy.   Each requires unique skill set to serve an equally unique population.   If you feel that your injury might require a specialized physical therapy skill set, feel free to contact our office to see how we can help.