It happened again. You lifted something too heavy, did a lot of yard work, sat in the car for too long on a road trip, or reached awkwardly for an item on the floor. Or maybe it has been there for so long that you can’t even remember the original cause. But now you have low back pain again. Sometimes your pain just goes away after a couple of days, but this time the frustration of having another pain episode has led you to try something different. You’d like to solve this current problem, but also prevent future issues. So the big question is what do you do? Should you get on the same regimen that you’re tried before of pain medication and muscle relaxers? Should you go ask your doctor to order you an MRI, or maybe visit a chiropractor? What if there is a better way?
Did you know that health care research consistently demonstrates that the number one treatment for back pain in terms of successfully restoring patient function quickly is to see a physical therapist first? Physical therapy care for back pain has also been found to be the most cost effective way to restore patient health. Physical therapists are experts at providing musculoskeletal treatment both to address current pain symptoms and also to identify the underlying causes or deficiencies that result in pain or injury. Physical therapists are also highly skilled and trained to identify when back pain symptoms are not appropriate for management through therapy. At this point, they can help to initiate a referral to a different provider for further assessment. Because of the research demonstrating the effectiveness of physical therapy as a first treatment for back pain, physical therapists have been fighting and advocating for direct access to physical therapy as a primary musculoskeletal health care provider at the national and state levels of government. Direct access to physical therapists allows patients to be evaluated and treated quickly without the hurdle of having to obtain a referral from another health care practitioner with a different specialty. Unfortunately for back pain sufferers, Texas has been one of the slowest states in considering adoption of these patient empowering and cost saving measures. The ongoing restrictions to access to physical therapists in Texas ultimately result in patients having to struggle to receive the best and most timely care for back injuries and other musculoskeletal pain or injuries.
One example of how ready access to physical therapy has positively affected public health can be found in the city of Denver. (The state of Colorado allows patients to choose a physical therapist as a first provider for musculoskeletal injuries.) This recent article details how both the Denver Fire and Police Departments have hired a physical therapist to be on staff to help to address injuries as well as “general maintenance” of the musculoskeletal system for their emergency first responders. The result has been over 8 million dollars in savings from costs associated with lost productivity and workers compensation claims over the last 2 years! In addition, the City of Denver has happier and healthier fire and police forces, who know that they are being well cared for. This model of involving physical therapists in both injury management and ongoing health care is effective for several reasons. First, it proactively addresses health instead of only reactively treating injuries. By providing employees with access to preventative care and periodic assessments of physical function, the City of Denver allows their physical therapists to address areas of weakness or poor mechanics with the fire fighters and police officers before an actual injury takes place. Second, when injuries do occur, this system provides near immediate access to appropriate care. This allows rapid initiation of treatment instead of putting employees in a situation where they are waiting weeks-months to “see if it will just go away”, or are taking rounds of medication that don’t address the foundational issues behind their injuries. Sending employees to see a physical therapist first also in many cases eliminates the need for prescribing and then waiting on results for expensive imaging procedures that have been shown to be mostly unhelpful at best, or at worst associated with less optimal and more expensive long-term outcomes. Third, this system fosters an ongoing relationship between the employees and their physical therapist. It is valuable to have a health care provider who is aware and knowledgeable about you and your individual musculoskeletal health history and circumstances before, during and after any episode of care. In the same way that we collectively do routine maintenance for a whole list of health care issues, including regular checkups for eye exams, dental cleanings and medical physicals with your primary physician, we should think about a regular tune up visit with a physical therapist as a musculoskeletal physical exam to help us keep functioning at our best.
At Symmetry Physical Therapy, we strive to work in an ongoing manner with each of our patients by establishing a relationship that both addresses current symptoms and also empowers patients to reach their long-term health goals. We want our patients to be well educated about how to effectively manage their function for the long-term. We are also thrilled when these initial relationships result in patients choosing us as their primary musculoskeletal health care providers over the course of time!
If you would like to set up an evaluation to address a nagging or recurrent pain issue, or simply to see if you might benefit from a physical therapy “tune-up”, give us a call. We’d love to be a partner in your health care team!