You don’t have to be sick to request an exam. The physical exam can be a good time to ask your PCP questions about your health or discuss any changes or problems that you have noticed.

Treatment may include moving joints in specific directions and at different speeds to regain movement (joint mobilization and manipulation), muscle stretching, passive movements of the affected body part, or having the patient move the body part against the therapist’s resistance to improve muscle activation and timing. Selected specific soft tissue techniques may also be used to improve the mobility and function of tissue and muscles.”

Exercise prescription commonly refers to the specific plan of fitness-related activities that are designed for a specified purpose, which is often developed by a fitness or rehabilitation specialist for the client or patient.

Electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy as a medical treatment. … The term has also been applied specifically to the use of electric current to speed wound healing. Additionally, the term “electrotherapy” or “electromagnetic therapy” has also been applied to a range of alternative medical devices and treatments.

Therapeutic ultrasound refers generally to any type of ultrasonic procedure that uses ultrasound for therapeutic benefit. Physiotherapeutic ultrasound was introduced into clinical practice in the 1950s, with lithotripsy introduced in the 1980s.

While shockwave therapy has been shown to be beneficial in fracture healing, most orthopedic research has focused on upper and lower extremity tendinopathies, fasciopathies, and soft tissue conditions.