Treating your body to functional movement

You schedule a dentist appointment twice a year and a yearly wellness appointment with your primary care physician to make sure you’re healthy from top to bottom.

You have friends over for dinner and a game night or schedule time at the spa to relax and unwind after a long work week.

You may even speak with a therapist regularly to better maintain your mental health.

These are important proactive moments of self-care that make you feel good.

So, why are you putting off that neck pain? It won’t go away on its own.

When are you going to address that odd click in your knee whenever you stand up to walk?

Taking the time to care for your body’s motor functions should be treated as equal in importance to that visit to the dentist or trip to the spa.

Routine physical therapy can help you prevent bigger problems down the road.

Fitting physical therapy into your routine appointments

Scheduling a physical therapy appointment because your doctor told you to might mean discovering a problem too late.

You may think that you don’t have the time for physical therapy, but a yearly assessment to check your muscle strength or balance can make a difference in your everyday function. And, a few visits with a physical therapist while you feel well can make a huge difference in continuing to feel good.

It can also help you avoid more time-consuming injuries down the road.

Besides enhancing muscle strength or restoring a knee back to health, there are other major benefits:

1. Increased strength, flexibility, mobility and balance: If you can’t bend down and touch your toes like you used to, or notice that your back hurts when you get out of bed, it could be early signs of aging muscles or not having those muscle areas stretched in a while. Your muscles can deteriorate at a faster rate when they’re not being stretched regularly, and your reaction times can suffer, leading to falls.
2. Reduced pain from injury: Whether it’s an old sports injury or work-related injury, ignoring a previous injury can lead to chronic, long-lasting pain. Physical therapy can help alleviate that pain and get you back to 100% on the field or in the office.
3. Healing from chronic pain and long-term illness: Physical therapists aren’t just experts in treating pain. They’re also experts in finding the source of your pain. It’s estimated that there’s 116 million people living with chronic pain, and each person experiences it differently. Your pelvic area shouldn’t hurt during intimacy or using the restroom. You shouldn’t be wincing in pain while bending down to pick up your child. You shouldn’t have to rely on medicine to temporarily get rid of your symptoms. And you shouldn’t have to suffer from long-term conditions like cardiovascular disease or the after-effects of the flu. A physical therapist can help you heal and restore your activity to the highest level.
4. Preventative care: When you make your body’s health a priority, you are actively working to prevent future injuries. Physical therapists are movement experts and work to ensure you are in tip-top condition. By learning proper movement techniques, conditioning your muscles and focusing on body mechanics, your chances of getting hurt dwindle. Physical therapists can also use many techniques, like massage, to help promote better health.
5. Your connection with a physical therapist: When you see your doctor, an allergist, an esthetician or even a counselor regularly, you begin to build a relationship with them. You might even be on a first name basis. Maybe they know your kids’ names or a personal goal you’re striving for. You can have the same relationship with a physical therapist. They can provide a holistic, natural path to treatment that’s easily accessible to you, and they can tailor exercises and stretches that best fit your lifestyle. They can be your health care advocate and cheerleader.

Maintenance of physical health

Physical health doesn’t just include going to the gym or on a five-mile-long run.

It’s about the evaluation and preventative measures used to ensure properly functioning body movements and how we take care of injuries and other issues.

If you care about fulfilling your social needs, mental health and physical health, then making physical therapy part of your yearly screening or overall health care routine can help rid you of that pelvic pain or frozen shoulder that won’t heal on its own.

Don’t wait until you’re forced to go to physical therapy by your doctor or a health care provider.

Choose to make your body’s health a priority. The experience should be rewarding and something that you look forward to, not something that you dread.

With direct access, it is easier than ever to make physical therapy part of your yearly, preventative care routine.

Request an appointment today to take an active role in your physical health.