Physical Abuse

Physical abuse may include: Acts of physical violence, like hitting, pushing, shaking, slapping, kicking, pinching, choking, strangling, and burning. Threats of physical violence against you, your family, or your pets.

Physical Activity and Weight Loss

Explains how to start being more active to improve your health. Being more active can be part of your plan to reach a weight that's healthy for you.

Physical Activity as You Get Older

It's never too late to start getting active. Being fit is important for everyone. You can benefit from physical activity even if you already have conditions such as arthritis or heart disease. Being more active will help you feel better. And it may even help you live longer. If you haven't been active for a long time...

Physical Activity for Children and Teens

Physical activity is key to lifelong health and well-being. Children as young as preschool age benefit from exercise and fitness as much as adults do. Being active helps children and teens to: Feel stronger and have more energy to do all the things they like to do. Focus better at school and perform better in sports...

Physical Activity Helps Prevent a Heart Attack and Stroke

Physical activity is one of the best things you can do to help prevent a heart attack or stroke. Being active is one part of a heart-healthy lifestyle. Eating healthy foods, not smoking, and staying at a healthy weight are other ways you can be heart-healthy and help prevent a heart attack or a stroke. If you are not...

Physical Activity Log

Marking progress Use the chart below to keep track of how much activity you are getting. Include not only long walks or workouts, but also anytime you do something extra, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking at the far end of the lot at a store. Physical activity log Day of the week Activity (walk...

Physical and Emotional Changes as Death Approaches

Several physical and emotional changes occur as death nears. Here are some things you can expect. If you have any questions or concerns, talk to your doctor. The more you know, the better prepared you'll be to cope with what is happening. Emotional and spiritual changes As death nears, you may feel like being social...

Physical Development, Ages 1 to 12 Months

Babies grow quickly during the first year of life. Weight, length, and head circumference measurements are plotted on growth charts to monitor your baby's growth over time. Most babies: Grow about 3 in. (7.5 cm) to 4 in. (11 cm) in length by 4 months of age. Growth may slow slightly between 4 and 7 months of age. But by...

Physical Development, Ages 11 to 14 Years

Adolescence is a time of rapid growth in height and weight and of physical changes throughout the body. Most of these changes happen near the time of puberty. In the United States and Canada, puberty usually starts between the ages of 9 and 13. In females: Breast buds (slight raising and enlargement of the nipple area)...

Physical Development, Ages 12 to 24 Months

Your child's physical growth during the second year, although considerable, is less rapid than during the first year. In the second year, toddlers gain an average of 3 lb (1.4 kg) to 5 lb (2.3 kg) and grow an average of 3 in. (7.6 cm) to 5 in. (12.7 cm). Normal and expected physical growth requires adequate nutrients...

Physical Development, Ages 15 to 18 Years

In females: Most have had their first menstrual period by age 15. And most have completed the rapid growth spurt that usually occurs during puberty. Other early changes of puberty, such as the growth of pubic hair and breasts, have also occurred. Breast development is usually complete about 4 years after breast buds...

Physical Development, Ages 6 to 10 Years

Growth between the ages of 6 and 10 usually occurs in spurts but progresses at an overall steady pace. Most children gain an average of 7 lb (3 kg) and 2 in. (6 cm) each year. The loss of baby teeth and their replacement by permanent teeth is one of the most dramatic signs of physical development for this age group...

Physical exam

During a physical exam, a health professional looks at, listens to, and touches or gently presses on (palpates) the body. This exam helps the health professional determine the cause of symptoms, what other conditions may be present, and what medical tests may be needed. During a physical exam, the health professional...

Physical Growth in Newborns

In the first month, your doctor will pay close attention to your baby's increasing weight, length, and head circumference. The head is measured around the largest point of the head, usually starting at a point on the forehead. The average birth weight for babies is around 7.5 lb (3.5 kg), although between 5.5 lb (2.5...

Physical Rehabilitation for ACL Injuries

Rehabilitation (rehab) is needed after most ACL injuries, with or without surgery. It'll help you regain normal range of motion and flexibility in your knee. Rehab programs also strengthen the knee and the muscles around it, leading to better knee stability. Your doctor or physical therapist will design a rehab program...

Physical Signs of Alcohol Use Disorder

The physical signs of alcohol use disorder can be vague in the early stages of the disease. Some early symptoms include: Blackouts, which cause you to not remember what happened when you were drinking. Blackouts aren't the same as passing out. Passing out means that you lose consciousness. You don't pass out when you...

Physical Therapist (PT)

Physical therapists are health professionals who evaluate physical problems and injuries, then provide education and treatment to promote health and physical function. Physical therapists also develop programs that include exercise and stretching to increase fitness and prevent injury. A physical therapist provides...

Physical Therapy

Discusses exercise, manual therapy, and education for chronic conditions like COPD or arthritis. Covers goals that include increasing flexibility, strength, and endurance. Covers what to expect.

Physical therapy

Physical therapy is treatment to improve mobility (such as walking, going up stairs, or getting in and out of bed), to relieve pain, and to restore physical function and overall fitness. The physical therapist uses exercise, manual therapy, education, and modalities such as heat, cold, and electrical stimulation to work...

Physical Therapy for Back Pain

Physical therapy may help you when back pain makes it hard to move around and do everyday tasks. This treatment helps you move better and may relieve pain. It also helps improve or restore your fitness level and how well you function. The goal is to make daily tasks and activities easier. For example, physical therapy...

Physical Therapy for Knee Arthritis

Painful knee arthritis can keep you from being as active as you need to be. You may not walk as much. You may avoid going up and down stairs. But when you don't move that knee as much, the ligaments, tendons, and muscles around it can shorten and get weaker. Movement also pumps fluid in and out of the joint space, which...

Physical Therapy for Spinal Stenosis

The purpose of physical therapy is to decrease your pain and help you slowly return to your normal activities. It may reduce pain in the soft tissues, such as your muscles, ligaments, and tendons. It may also improve function and build muscle strength. A physical therapist provides these treatments. Treatments may...

Physical Therapy for Temporomandibular Disorders

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are problems with the muscles and joints that connect your jaw to your skull. The disorders cause pain when you talk, chew, swallow, or yawn. You may feel this pain on one or both sides. TMDs are often caused by tight jaw muscles. The tightness can be caused by clenching or grinding...

Physician assistant (PA)

Physician assistants (PAs) are health professionals who practice medicine under a doctor's supervision in medical and surgical settings. They can perform routine exams, order lab work and X-rays, prescribe medicines, and counsel people about their health. A physician assistant completes an accredited PA program. Then...

Physician-Assisted Death

Physician-assisted death is a practice by which doctors provide the means for a person with a terminal illness to voluntarily cause their own death. In most cases, the doctor prescribes lethal doses of medicine. The doctor indirectly takes part in the person's death. But the doctor does not directly cause the death...

physostigmine

Physostigmine affects chemicals in the body that control the signals sent from the nervous system to the muscles to activate muscle movement. . Physostigmine is used to reverse the effects of certain drugs or substances that interfere with this nerve-muscle communication. Such substances include atropine, scopolamine...

Phytochemicals

Phytochemicals are chemicals found in plants. They are not essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals, but they do have important functions in the body, and they may protect against cancer. Examples of phytochemicals include: Beta-carotene. Isoflavones. Lutein. Lycopene.

phytonadione (oral/injection)

Phytonadione is a man-made form of vitamin K, which occurs naturally in the body. Phytonadione is used to treat vitamin K deficiency, and to treat certain bleeding or blood-clotting problems caused by other medicines or medical conditions. Phytonadione may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Pica

Pica is a condition in which a person craves substances that are not food, such as clay, dirt, ice, or flecks of old paint. Pica can have a physical cause, such as iron deficiency anemia or pregnancy, or it may be due to a mental health condition. Treatment depends on the cause and may include psychological counseling...

Pages