Why You Need Physical Therapy
You should see a Physical Therapist for pain first!
As soon as you begin to experience pain or discomfort in your body you should receive physical therapy. Imagine one day you are reaching into your cupboard and notice some pain in your shoulder, but no big deal! This achy pain should go away on its own with time. The “natural history” of the body is inclined to want to feel better. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Sometimes, pain can start limiting functional abilities. Suddenly, you may begin to notice hardships ranging from difficulty working out to difficulty performing other daily activities such as dressing, reaching, lifting, grooming, etc. Symmetry Physical Therapy offers a variety of physical therapy services.
This can often become over-whelming! For example, your job can become daunting as neck pain limits your ability to work at your desk. Certainly, lower-back pain can keep you awake at night. Lastly, a walk on the beach does not sound relaxing when it makes foot pain worse. Ideally, these situations are the time to get help! These are the 4 reasons why you should see your physical therapist first for musculoskeletal pain.
We can screen and triage musculoskeletal disorders
Musculoskeletal pains in any of the joints or muscles in your body must be evaluated, treated, and managed by a physical therapist. Physical therapists are direct access, which means you can schedule a visit without requiring a medical prescription. A physical therapist will perform a thorough screening & testing performed to determine if your pain is musculoskeletal. You will be referred to a medical doctor if the pain is not musculoskeletal in origin.
Avoid unnecessary, invasive medical procedures
By having PT first through direct access, you can also avoid the following:
- Unnecessary, costly imaging such as X-Rays and/or MRI
- Pain medications, such as opioids, which can be potentially dangerous. These medications can have their place in treatment of pain, but can cause:
- Depression
- Overdose
- Addiction, plus withdrawal symptoms when stopping use.
- Invasive procedures such as injections and/or surgery. If surgery is the only option for an injury (such as a ruptured ACL of the knee)
One-on-One Physical Therapy
You have been assessed and are already commencing your treatment. In visiting your physical therapist first, you may start to notice an immediate decrease in the level of pain and/or dysfunction following your initial visit. A specific plan is designed for you decrease pain and to get you moving better than ever before! This will help you return to the physical and daily activities you wish to perform again. See what our patients have to say about their one-on-one experience.
There are a wide array of things we treat!
Physical therapists are trained medical professionals that treat musculoskeletal injuries. These include muscle strains, sprained ligaments, and neck/lower-back pain. In addition, physical therapists are trained to treat patients with neurological conditions such as vertigo, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and balance deficits. Having a PT available for treatment of neurological impairments can vastly improve quality of life and drastically reduce the risk for falling.
We hope that this blog has been informative to you and to know if that if you are experiencing any musculoskeletal pain, physical therapists are there for you when you need them. At Symmetry, we genuinely believe in being the main musculoskeletal providers for our patients and clients. We maximize this standard of care by providing one on one care to ensure the excellent benefits that physical therapy can provide. Do you have any questions or ready to get started with physical therapy? Contact us!
Written By: Dr. Stan Sowinski, PT, DPT, MTC
Citations
- Benefits of Physical Therapy. (2020, June 22). Retrieved July 11, 2020, from https://www.choosept.com/benefits/default.aspx