Let’s begin with the most important questions: why is physical therapy important?
As we’ve covered in previous blogs, the answer is pretty endless and has countless research journals supporting its validity, but just few benefits of PT may include:
1. Maximizing Movement: pain-free movement is crucial to high quality of life, regardless of your age, gender, activity level or job, we all need to move pain-free.
2. Decreasing Pain: even if your mobility isn’t the issue, pain from cardiac or neurological issues can severely impact your quality of life. PT’s are trained in both pain education and hands-on techniques to reduce pain levels and allow you to resume your functional activities.
3. Avoid Surgery and Opioids: high quality evidence has shown PT to be an effective alternative to both surgeries and medication. (http://www.moveforwardpt.com/benefits/default.aspx)
Attending Physical Therapy
A good PT will establish a “plan of care” at your first session with your individual goals in mind. That plan of care will include how many times they think you’ll need to come per week and for how long in order to meet your goals. When you miss appointments or don’t show up, you’re only prolonging the time it will take for you to reach your goals. We love to hear how you can pick your grandchildren up with more ease, or how you ran the fastest half-marathon of your life without pain! We love celebrating victories with our patients, both big and small. As much as we love spending time with our patients, if therapy is successful, we should be seeing our patients less and less. By missing appointments, you’re only prolonging your stay in therapy–which likely means prolonging the time with pain, restricted functional activities, and lower quality of life than you’re used to. If you have any questions or concerns with your plan of care, reach out to your PT- it is a team effort and you are the most important team-member.
Cole Racich, PT, DPT, OCS
Doctor of Physical Therapy, Board-Certified Orthopedic Specialist
