LAKEPORT, Calif. – October is National Physical Therapy Month, and Sutter Lakeside Hospital is recognizing the important role that physical therapy plays in the patient healing process.

Physical therapy helps to restore movement and function following an injury or surgery, relieve pain, and prevent illness and injury.

A recent body of research suggests that physical therapy treatment can be an equally effective, safer, more economical alternative to surgery and prescription drugs for numerous conditions, ranging from chronic back pain to an ankle sprain.

At Sutter Lakeside Hospital, physical therapists work collaboratively with their clients, tailoring each treatment plan to the patient.

This holistic approach includes patient education, identifying the cause of the problem, and long-term preventative strategies.

The tools that a physical therapist may employ during the rehabilitation process include exercise, massage, ultrasound, spinal manipulation, biofeedback, lasers, and a variety of hot/cold modalities.

Sutter Lakeside Hospital’s Rehabilitation Services offers physical, occupational and speech therapy on an outpatient basis. 

“Our patients have access to a large fitness gym, free group fitness classes, and a very unique outdoor Mobility Park,” said Director of Rehabilitation Services Joe Prisco. “We’re proud of the services that we offer to Lake County. As a physical therapist myself, I truly appreciate being a part of the patient healing process here at Sutter Lakeside.”

Tiffany Ortega, assistant administrator at Sutter Lakeside Hospital, added, “We are a small hospital, so we are very pleased by all the amenities that we can offer to our patients. However, it is truly our top-notch physical therapists that set us apart. They are instrumental in ensuring that our patients return back to health.”

To learn more about Sutter Lakeside, visit www.sutterlakeside.org/ .