October is National Physical Therapy Month: Discover the physical therapy benefits!
by Dr. Carly Catanese, PT, DPT, DMT, MEd
We wanted to talk about some of the many physical therapy benefits. It’s a perfect time since October is National Physical Therapy Month!
You might be asking, what is physical therapy? Who benefits from it? What exactly are the benefits?
Read on for the answers!
What is physical therapy?
Physical therapy is a conservative means of helping you move, function, and feel better, whether you suffer from an acute or chronic injury or suffer from a disease like arthritis.
PT can help improve quality of life without the use of opioids, injections, or surgery. Though sometimes injections or surgery are necessary, they should not be the first line of defense.
The body is an amazing thing, and if guided and treated properly, you can achieve full or significant recovery without surgical means. Functional limitations and movement dysfunctions can be treated with a variety of methods and often a combination of
- Manual therapy (including soft tissue work, joint mobilizations, passive stretching)
- Exercise
- BFR (blood flow restriction training)
- Taping techniques
- And more!
Who benefits from physical therapy?
Anyone and everyone! Regardless of your age, physical health, or how long you’ve dealt with an issue, physical therapy can help. Whether you tried it before or are new to it, it is worth another or a first try.
Why should you give it another chance if you’ve tried it and didn’t get the results you were hoping for? For starters, there is an eclectic group of physical therapists out there with variable training and treatment methods, all working towards the same goal of helping patients move and function better, but not every method is for everyone!
Unfortunately, our occupations and lifestyles can wreak havoc on our bodies. Since we’re located in Seattle, a large percentage of our patients work in the Tech industry and spend long hours sitting and staring at a computer screen. That’s a great recipe to cause stress to the spine.
Our clientele varies from stay-at-home parents, other healthcare providers, flight attendants, to real estate agents – pretty much you name the profession, and we see them too!
What about sports injuries and chronic conditions?
Sport-related injuries I’ve seen and treated in this area are related to:
- Hiking
- Mountain climbing
- Mountain biking
- Dancing
- Paragliding
- Running
- Crossfit
- Weight lifters
- Ultimate frisbee
- Soccer
- Basketball
- And many more!
As for chronic conditions, we’ve seen osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune conditions like lupus, hypermobility syndrome (including Ehler’s Danlos), and limitations that are months or years post-stroke, etc.
Unfortunately, all of us deal with pain sometime in our life and often need some help to get through it.
What are the benefits of PT?
The list is endless, but here are just a few:
- Pain reduction or resolution
- Improved mobility/flexibility
- Improved strength/endurance
- Improved posture
- Improved motor control/coordination
- Improved balance
- Improved activity tolerance
- Help return patients to sport
If you or someone you know might benefit from physical therapy, please don’t hesitate to call us at (206) 641-7733 or schedule online. If you’re not sure if physical therapy is appropriate for you, or wonder if it can help you, we invite you to schedule a 30-min FREE screen with a physical therapist to discuss your case. We will be sure to help guide you in the right direction!