Physical Therapy is at the Crux of Preventative Care!

Physical Therapy is Essential to Preventative Health-Care

How Physical Therapy is fast-becoming known for annual check-ups to maintain good health and lower the cost of personal health-care.

The title of this article may come as a surprise to most people since statistics point to the fact that most think physical therapy is solely about rehabilitation from injuries and chronic illness.  Very few individuals think of physical therapy in terms of achieving overall health and well being through a holistic approach.

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) recommends that everyone should make a point of visiting a physical therapist along with their annual visit to a physician.  This recommendation is the result of a recent APTA study that found a significant increase in physical inactivity in a high percentage of Americans. 

The House of Representatives recently recommended physical therapy to help reverse the high percentage of obese individuals and to encourage Americans to maintain health and wellness programs that will help them to enjoy a higher quality of life while increasing longevity.

Physical Therapist vs. Physician

You are probably asking yourself, “Why do I need two different appointments?” For one thing, the above facts point to the significance of making an appointment with your physical therapist in addition to your regular physician.  Why?  Because a physical therapist can do a health evaluation of your nervous system, musculoskeletal status, cardiovascular and pulmonary health, and then recommend a customized holistic approach that will benefit your health over the long term. 

Seeing a physical therapist in tandem with seeing your physician may help you to treat some of your health conditions holistically before having to resort to drugs.  This accomplishes two things:  1) You save money on the high cost of prescriptions and, 2) A visit to your physical therapist is a low-cost solution to the soaring costs of health care because they can help you troubleshoot health issues before they develop into a serious condition.

Other Benefits of Paying an Annual Visit to a Physical Therapist

After completing an evaluation a physical therapist can recommend a personalized program that will address any weaknesses found in the evaluation as well as some of the health concerns you discuss with your physical therapist.  The physical therapist will then help you put together a customized plan during your annual check-up which he will implement throughout the year.

During the year the physical therapist will motivate you to stay with the plan and make any necessary changes during the course of the year.  Some physical therapy practices also have several different programs that are incremental to motivate the individual to set goals for better levels of health and wellness while decreasing the chances of future injuries that cause mobility problems as you age.

And…how about reversing the aging process?  Everyone wants to do that! Not to mention preventing serious health issues that can lead to surgery and medications which can potentially cause further complications.  If you are participating in a long term health and fitness plan with someone guiding you, you will be less likely to collapse into that easy chair at the end of the day.

As you can see there are many benefits to scheduling an annual visit to your physical therapist.  You have nothing to lose except increased energy, well being, and the benefits of living a longer life and being able to enjoy it.