According to the APTA physical therapists “are movement experts who optimize quality of life through prescribed exercise, hands-on care, and patient education. Physical therapists teach patients how to prevent or manage their condition so that they will achieve long-term health benefits”. Many of my colleagues have furthered their educations with doctoral degrees and advanced certifications like the McKenzie method https://www.mckenzieinstituteusa.org, Maitland technique https://www.imta.ch/en/the-maitland-concept/ and many more. These certificates and degrees are paramount to a therapist’s education and advancement in the newest and most updated methods of treatment.
Physical therapists also strive to evaluate and treat conditions that if not handled, can lead to surgery or further injury. Disc Herniation's in the neck or back are common conditions that if treated with early intervention can prevent invasive remedies and put patients back to their daily life. Often a successful evaluation by a physical therapist can lead to appropriate treating that can cause strength, mobility and pain reduction. These results promote the body’s natural ways of moving and puts the body in the proper direction for healing.
Typically, a physical therapy evaluation takes 45-60 minutes and involves the local area of discomfort and the other associated areas that can drive the pain and restrictions in the body. Once discovered, the painful areas can be remedied, and patients are bought to stage where they can perform exercises on their own and build up what was lost. The unfortunate reality is that when pain is around, weakness is to follow. Weakness leads to compensation and altered movements that delay the correct ways of healing. In the world we live in, it’s critical that we seek our remedies quickly and not wait for the worst to happy.
