Would you ever buy a car based on a photo? Probably not. You’d want to see it in person, take a look under the hood, take it for a test drive and get the accident history. From a physical therapist’s perspective, we are the same way!

We want to talk to the person, get a good history of what’s been going on, and see how the body functions. We want to see how you move, how you sit idly, etc. so we can figure out what is causing you pain – and recommend a treatment plan.

An interesting study by Chou et al (2011) showed that among those 60 and older, 36% had a herniated disc, 21% had spinal stenosis, and more than 90% had a degenerated or bulging disc – but none of these individuals had symptoms!  In other words, the MRI may show something that’s out of the ordinary, but your pain may be coming from a source that is entirely different than what is reflected by an MRI scan.

So yes, scans can explain some things, and we will probably take a look at the impression of the MRI. But most importantly, from a physical therapist’s perspective, we like to talk to you, get to know you, hear what’s been going on with your body in the past weeks, months and years, hear how any pain is getting in your way, and see what that car looks like when its driving.

If you are in pain or if you have questions, get a physical therapist’s perspective today. We’d love to meet you.

Beacon Physical Therapy

At Beacon Physical Therapy, we support our clients in establishing healthy movement patterns that help maintain strength, flexibility and mobility. If you are having an issue, make an appointment today. We’d love to meet you and get you back to doing what you love.