6 Reasons To See Your Physical Therapist

Written By: Kristy L. Harken, PT, DPT

According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), a physical therapist is a trained and licensed medical professional with experience in diagnosing physical abnormalities, restoring physical function and mobility, maintaining physical function, and promoting physical activity and proper function.

Physical therapy is a conservative approach to managing disease and disability.  Here are 6 reasons for you to see your physical therapist today:

1. Reduce or eliminate pain.  Whether you suffer from chronic or acute pain, physical therapists have a myriad of tools to utilize to help control reduce or eliminate pain.  Utilizing interventions such as manual therapy (joint and soft tissue mobilization), therapeutic exercise, and neuromuscular re-education, therapists can help to restore muscle and joint function that often cause pain.
2. Improve functional mobility.  Having difficulties getting out of bed, standing up from your favorite chair, or walking?  There are some of the best reasons to seek out physical therapy care.  Physical therapists specialize in movement and determining muscle weaknesses will lead to a specialized plan of care to help improve abilities to complete daily tasks.
3. Improve balance and prevent falls.  This is one of the hottest topics in the care of our aging population.  But loss of balance and falls do not have to be a part of getting older. Physical therapy can improve your strength and proprioception which in turn will help keep you safely on your feet.
4. Manage chronic diseases.  It is well known that exercise helps with the management of many chronic diseases but knowing how to manage the disease’s symptoms within an exercise program is more important.  As a skilled clinician, a physical therapist is well educated in the management of chronic diseases such as congestive heart failure, diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, stroke, cancer, and Alzheimer’s in conjunction with exercise.
5. Pre-habilitation.  Have an upcoming joint replacement or surgery?  Going into the surgery as strong as possible will help ensure an easier recovery and rehab.  Physical therapists are educated in surgical procedures as they relate to movement and function.  A physical therapist can design an appropriate pre-habilitation program to ensure tissues and joints that will be affected are as strong as possible. 
6. Aquatic therapy.  Have you tried therapy in the past without resolution of symptoms or with an exacerbation?  Aquatic therapy will off load joints and tissues, allowing a patient to work through the appropriate exercises until strength and mobility is great enough to tolerate land therapy. 

This list is not all inclusive and a physical therapists’ education, knowledge, and skill is far reaching.  If you have questions regarding how physical therapy might help you or a loved one, contact our Goodcare AtHome Rehab team at 605-231-2490 or email us at: info@goodcareathomerehab.com.