Maritime Physical Therapy

Geriatric Physical Therapy in Plymouth

The things that used to be automatic, getting out of a low chair, carrying the groceries in one trip, taking the stairs without the rail, have started asking for a plan. Geriatric physical therapy rebuilds the strength and balance underneath them.

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Doctor of Physical Therapy working one on one with a patient

01What It Is

What is geriatric physical therapy?

Getting older did not make you fragile, and it is not the reason you cannot do what you did last year. Lost strength is. A great deal of what gets called aging is the accumulated effect of moving less, and muscle that responds to training at forty still responds to training at eighty. More slowly, yes. But it responds. Geriatric physical therapy is care built around that fact and around the realities that come with it: arthritis, a replaced hip or knee, thinner bone, medications that pull at your blood pressure and your balance, a heart or lung condition that sets the ceiling on how hard a session can go. A Doctor of Physical Therapy works around all of it rather than pretending none of it is there. The work itself is not gentle for the sake of being gentle. It is graded. We load the hips and legs that get you out of a chair, train the systems that keep you upright, and rehearse the specific tasks that have started to feel risky.

What you will not find here is a room where everybody does the same exercises. Sessions are one on one, and the plan is built around what you actually want back: the garden, the second-floor stairs, carrying a grandchild, driving to see friends. Dr. Brittney Mulligan is certified in the Burdenko Method Part I and is a certified Pilates Reformer I teacher through Balanced Body. And you will be spoken to like an adult, because you are one.

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02Who It's For

Who it's for.

Older adults come to us in Plymouth for very concrete reasons. Not one of them is a general wish to be healthier.

Getting out of a chair has become a project

You rock forward twice, push off the arms, and hope something solid is within reach. That is leg strength, and leg strength is trainable at any age. We load it directly so standing up stops being the hardest thing you do every hour of the day.

After a joint replacement, a fracture or a hospital stay

A week in bed costs more strength than most people expect, and the surgery was only the first half of the job. We rebuild the range, the strength and the walking tolerance so you go back to your own routine instead of settling for a smaller version of it.

Steady enough at home, not steady enough out

Inside your own house you manage fine. Curbs, wet grass, crowded aisles and uneven sidewalks are another story, and your world has quietly narrowed to the places you trust. We train the harder conditions on purpose so the list of places you will go starts growing again.

03What To Expect

What to expect from geriatric physical therapy in Plymouth.

The first visit is a conversation and a full hands-on evaluation. We accept Medicare, Aetna, ASHLink, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Fallon Health, Harvard Pilgrim, Mass General Brigham Health Plan and Tricare, along with Workers' Compensation and auto injury claims, and we verify your benefits and give you your copay in writing before you come in.

Your history, your medications, your goals

We go through your diagnoses and surgeries, what you take and what it does to your blood pressure and steadiness, and any falls or near falls in the past year. Then we ask what you want back, in specific terms. Massachusetts direct access means you can start physical therapy without a physician referral, though some plans still require one for coverage, so we check that first and tell you where you stand.

Measuring, not guessing

We time how long it takes you to rise from a chair, walk a set distance, turn and sit back down, and we test balance with your feet together, your eyes closed, and your head turning. Those numbers become your baseline and we repeat them as you go, so progress is something you can see rather than something you are told. Sessions run 30 to 60 minutes, one on one with your doctor of physical therapy.

Strength work, rehearsal and a home plan

Then we train. Legs and hips loaded properly, balance challenged with support close at hand, and rehearsal of the exact tasks that have felt risky lately, from the stairs to the tub to getting in and out of the car. You leave with a short home program that fits your actual day. Most patients notice improvement within about six visits, and typical care runs two to three visits a week for four to six weeks.

Fall risk and safety

Balance work has to be challenging to be worth doing, and challenge carries a real risk of a stumble. Every drill is done with your therapist within arm's reach and with a rail, wall or gait belt available, and we stop short of what you are not ready for rather than pushing through it. Tell us about any fall or near fall, fainting, lightheadedness on standing, chest pain, a new medication, or a change in your vision. Those change what is safe to train that day, and some of them need medical review before therapy continues.

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