About Physical Therapy
Why is Physical Therapy a good choice?
You can see a physical therapist first, before you see your physician, when you have pain or a movement problem. This path into the healthcare system is much less time consuming and has been shown by research to cost less healthcare dollars and patients spend less time in therapy.
What do Physical Therapists do?
Physical therapists are experts in movement problems and the treatment of these problems. A movement problem can be as simple as “I have pain when I bend over,” or “I have pain when I turn my head.” It can be as complicated as a patient who is a recent traumatic amputee with multiple contusions in the intensive care unit or a patient with multiple orthopedic injuries, or the patient who has been to multiple therapists, physicians and had multiple MRI’s, CT scans and X-rays and still has chronic widespread pain or another type of pain of “unknown” pathological or physical origin.
Physical therapists address movement problems by looking for the cause of the patient’s symptoms. Increasing the patient’s function (or their ability to perform everyday tasks) can be achieved with a treatment program designed to decrease pain, increase joint range of motion which uses therapeutic exercise, joint mobilization and manipulation, soft tissue mobilization including massage, and myofascial release among others to achieve the treatment goals.
Physical therapists may use modalities such as:
- hot & cold packs
- ultrasound & electrical stimulation
- percussion massage like a Theragun
- trigger point dry needling
- therapeutic & corrective exercise
- soft tissue mobilization & massage
- cupping & scraping
- kettlebell & barbell training
- pain & movement education
- kinesio taping using brands such as RockTape, Spider Tech and KT Tape
- spinal manipulation and mobilization
- and more...
Physical therapy its-self is not a modality, or something that is done to a patient, but a profession of highly educated & licensed professionals and doctors of physical therapy who have the goal to help patients move with less pain and achieve enhanced function.
Physical therapists always start with an evaluation and movement diagnosis and based on their assessment, they set functional and measurable goals for their patients to achieve by the end of their treatment regimen.
Why are people referred to Physical Therapy?
Most people don’t even know they can see a physical therapist 1st without a referral or prescription. Physical Therapy is a great option and you can usually see a PT directly without waiting to go see your physician or surgeon 1st.
There is a lot of research that physical therapy, exercise, massage combined with pain science education is just as effective if not more so than medications, injections and surgery.
The trouble is most people think their problem will be solved with a pill, that there is a quick fix or it will just go away on it’s own. Physical therapy can be quick and easy, but only if people know ALL of their options and patients get to a physical therapist 1st or within a few weeks rather than after surgery or months and years later.