INCORPORATE PHYSICAL THERAPY INTO YOUR HEALTHCARE ROUTINE
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We usually think of physical therapists in the role of helping us recover from an injury, surgery, or a medical condition. However, as I grow older, I’m hearing that it might be a good idea to touch base with a physical therapist and establish a relationship for preventative care.
Not having much experience with physical therapy, I searched online for a concise overview of how it could benefit us. I came across an article on the Connecticut Orthopaedics website that fills the bill. Below are excerpts from Edward Strosnick’s article, 5 Reasons Why Physical Therapy is So Important.
Physical therapy uses science-based treatments to restore, maintain, and enhance physical function
Physical therapists:
- Diagnose and manage movement dysfunction and enhance physical and functional abilities.
- Restore, maintain, and promote not only optimal physical function but optimal wellness and fitness and optimal quality of life as it relates to movement and health.
- Prevent the onset, symptoms, and progression of impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities that may result from diseases, disorders, conditions, or injuries
Here are 5 reasons you should choose physical therapy:
Reduce Pain
Let’s be honest, no one wants to be in pain, and quite often the cause may not be obvious. Anyone who has had pain or continues to suffer from pain knows the impact it can have on one’s quality of life. However, physical therapy has been shown to be an effective way of addressing pain both acute and chronic. Utilizing therapeutic exercise, soft tissue and joint mobilization, and other physical therapy techniques and modalities, has shown to minimize or eliminate pain as well teach patients self-remedies to help avoid pain in the future!
Avoid Surgery
When patients experience pain or impairment, often surgery is an option that quickly enters their radar. Although sometimes surgery is unavoidable, in many cases physical therapy can be an effective method in avoiding surgery all together. There is growing research that demonstrates physical therapy being the first line treatment in a plethora of musculoskeletal injuries and giving it a try prior to going under the knife may be the secret to avoiding unnecessary surgery. In the instances that therapy does not prevent surgery, there is strong evidence that therapy prior to surgery improves postoperative outcomes!
Return to activity after injury
In my time as a physical therapist I have known many of my colleagues to be avid fitness enthusiasts and athletes. Combine that with an education in physical rehabilitation and you have the right person to help you get back to doing the activities that you love. A physical therapist will consider both the healing process and physical requirements involved in the activity to create a custom plan utilizing scientific based methods to get you back on the move as soon as possible.
Prevent Injuries
Most people look for physical therapy to recover following injury or when in pain. However, one aspect overlooked is the role physical therapy plays in diagnosing areas of weakness and poor mobility that may leave a patient vulnerable to injury. When a physical therapist recognizes these impairments, they will create a therapeutic regimen to target those areas and potentially reduce the likelihood of injury. Unfortunately, all injuries are not avoidable, however like anything in life it is always better to be proactive!
Improve balance and prevent falls
It is widely known that falls among the elderly are prevalent, dangerous, and can disastrously impact their quality of life. Over 25% of seniors above age 65 (that percent only increases with age!) will fall at least once this year, many times with significant consequences. Physical therapists can help prevent falls with evaluation and development of custom treatment plans including exercises to improve strength, mobility, and balance. As well provide education to patients and their loved ones highlighting simple ways to reduce fall risk at home.
Now that I know a little more about what a physical therapist does, I want to begin a regime that particularly addresses this last reason. Unfortunately, many people, including both my mother and father, have experienced serious falls that led to hospitalizations, which impacted their ability to live independently afterward. With that in mind, I plan to find a physical therapist who can assess my strengths and weaknesses and create a personalized program of stretches and exercises tailored to improve my balance and prevent falls.