With health in sharp focus as a result of the pandemic, now may be a good time to look at the team of medical experts that you have in place and to see if there are any improvements you could make. You probably have a family doctor, dentist, and optometrist. Maybe you also have some specialist physicians, an acupuncturist, or a massage therapist. If a physical therapist isn’t a part of your healthcare team, you’re missing out on taking care of a big part of your health. To understand why you need a physical therapist, you need to understand what they do.
Physical Therapists Help You to Do Things
The American Physical Therapy Association’s Vision Statement defines what physical therapists do as follows: “Optimize Movement to Improve the Human Experience.” PTs are the people who help you DO THINGS. For patients recovering from something like COVID-19 that are too weak to climb steps, or even have trouble sitting upright, that could mean walking across a room, climbing steps, or getting in and out of a chair. For an injured athlete it could mean getting back to competition. For someone with arthritis or back pain, it could mean going for a walk or getting through a day of work without pain. Physical therapists are unique in that they are trained to treat pain and movement problems without surgery or medication. That means that the pain relief they offer is less costly, safer, and longer lasting than most other treatments.
Physical Therapists Help to Keep You Healthy
Physical therapists also work to keep people healthy. The APTA statement goes on to say that “PTs work with individuals to prevent the loss of mobility before it occurs by developing fitness- and wellness-oriented programs for healthier and more active lifestyles.” That means that a physical therapist can help you determine your risk for injury, choose the right fitness program, and improve the quality of your life by improving your health and ability to move.
Physical Therapists Can Help You Live Longer
The ability to move well is a big deal. The risk of many of the leading causes of death can be reduced by exercise. Some of these conditions include heart disease, cancer, lung disease, diabetes, and stroke. Regular activity has also been shown to reduce stress, reduce depression, help with weight loss, reduce pain, improve sleep, and improve memory and cognitive function – all of which are important for optimizing the human life span. Maintaining optimal movement can also significantly reduce the risk of injury and falls – both of which can result in long-lasting negative health impacts. By helping you move better and with less pain, finding the right exercise program for ongoing body maintenance, and helping you to make healthy lifestyle choices, a PT could truly help you to live longer.
The unique expertise and skill set of physical therapists is meant to help people move better and more often. The benefits of this to your health and quality of life are hard to understate. If a physical therapist isn’t a part of your current healthcare team, consider adding one. They might be just the person you need!