physical therapy

noun

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of physical therapy

: therapy for the preservation, enhancement, or restoration of movement and physical function impaired or threatened by disease, injury, or disability that utilizes therapeutic exercise, physical modalities (such as massage and electrotherapy), assistive devices, and patient education and training — called also physiotherapy

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physical therapist

noun

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Recent Examples of physical therapy from the Web

After completing physical therapy and taking his coaches' advice to increase core strength, Killoy came back stronger than ever.

— quoron walker, Courant Community, "Local Youth Wrestling Program Has Successful Season," 11 Apr. 2018
The singer posted a letter to fans on her site Tuesday about her recovery from a freak accident late last year, which also left her with a broken wrist and needing physical therapy.

— lisa respers france, CNN, "Carrie Underwood says her face is healing 'pretty nicely'," 11 Apr. 2018
Arreaza said that Borges cannot speak for long periods of time without becoming winded and that the teen will need physical therapy and possible treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

— lindsey bever, BostonGlobe.com, "Parkland shooting survivor who shielded fellow students is released from the hospital," 5 Apr. 2018
Anthony will likely need physical therapy and possibly PTSD treatment as well.

— caitlin wolper, Teen Vogue, "Anthony Borges, Marjory Stoneman Douglas Shooting Survivor, Is Finally Going Home," 5 Apr. 2018
Asha Gummadi's smartphone app helps doctors prescribe virtual physical therapy to patients in developing countries.

— asha gummadi, National Geographic, "Find Out Which Idea Rose to the Top in National Geographic's CHASING GENIUS Challenge," 21 Mar. 2018
The comprehensive treatment program generally runs for eight weeks and typically includes physical therapy three times a week and a total of five PRP sessions.

— joyce wiswell for the knee institute, Detroit Free Press, "Unique therapies ease painful neuropathy," 20 Mar. 2018
VideoTherapy, one of 12 companies picked, has developed an application that allows users to do physical therapy in the comfort of their own home.

— kaylee remington, cleveland.com, "VideoTherapy wins a spot in Cleveland business accelerator Plug and Play (video)," 14 Mar. 2018
Miraculously, however, Mancuso has made a recovery after undergoing physical therapy.

— sophie saint thomas, Allure, "This Woman Was Left Temporarily Paralyzed While Doing Sit-Ups at the Gym," 23 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'physical therapy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of physical therapy

1919