October is National Physical Therapy month! Admittedly, we might be a bit biased here at Beacon PT, ahem, but we think this month is quite a great thing to celebrate. In this week’s blog, we’ll be broadening your awareness of all of the ways in which PT can be integrated into your life, and providing you with important information to help you and those you care about to access the PT care that you need.

When did you or someone in your family last go to see a PT? For many of us, our experience with PT might be limited to being referred to an outpatient, insurance-based practice for post-injury rehab following an acute injury or surgery. In many of these cases, referrals to PT are limited in scope or in the number of allowable visits, not specialized, and for a variety of reasons (including not receiving much more than ice and electric stimulation), can only feel marginally effective. However, it might surprise you how broadly PT applies and how truly instrumental it can be. 

PT can help you to properly assess reasons why you might be experiencing chronic or inexplicable pain; it can help you to figure out barriers to your ability to be physically active; it can help you to identify why you are getting injured or not healing; it can help to prevent falls and other age-related health risks. These are just some of the ways – and it can even help with managing symptoms of long COVID!  Below, we dive into a little bit more detail on some features of PT you might be less aware of.

Pain

No one is immune to experiencing pain, and many of us are faced with managing more chronic discomfort that cannot be easily explained or relieved with medication. Why choose PT over opioid treatment or even surgery?  It might surprise you that PT has been found to be as effective as surgery for conditions including meniscal tears and knee osteoarthritis, and rotator cuff tears. PTs treat pain through movement – and that means no nasty side effects (i.e., no addiction, or risk of overdose) and benefits that are long-lasting like improved mobility, and prevention of other health problems. For most people experiencing low back pain, hip and knee osteoarthritis, or fibromyalgia, PT should be a first-line approach to treatment.

Long COVID

One recent report found that 1 in 20 people are still experiencing symptoms of COVID, more than 6 months after infection. How can PT help those in this position? PTs take a full-body approach; they assess your overall well-being, can coordinate care with your primary care provider, and work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan to address issues such as fatigue, respiratory function, and cardiac endurance. Movement is essential to full recovery and your mental health and even though long COVID can make any activity much more difficult, PTs can help you to find the right balance between activity and rest.

Non-Musculoskeletal impairments 

Most people assume physical therapy is only for those who have had an orthopedic surgery, like an ACL repair, or sports related injury, like a sprained ankle, but there are many ways in which PT can help with a wide variety of non-musculoskeletal issues. Many subspecialities exist within PT including pelvic health, cardiopulmonary, vestibular, neurological, lymphedema, neurology, pediatrics, oncology, and many others! Though the musculoskeletal system can overlap with various diseases and impairments, it can come as a shock to many that PT can help with the recovery of so many different issues including things like rehabilitation following a heart attack, a concussion, cancer-related surgery or even during a bout of vertigo. Managing any medical condition can be a daunting task and luckily a trained PT can help you navigate through the rehabilitation process.

Note that while PT is often something that a physician will refer patients to, all states have some form of Direct Access Laws for Physical Therapy. While there are some limitations, this means that it is in your rights to be able to seek PT care when you feel that it is indicated, without a physician referral. If you are curious whether or not you could benefit from physical therapy, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Beacon PT!