Why physical therapy isn’t just for recovery: A look at how it can prevent future health problems | Health

Roger Herr, current president of APTA, and Gammon Earhart, associate dean for physical therapy at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, echoed Dunn’s prevention message in separate interviews with the AP.

“We need to change our image by getting out of our silos, out of our brick-and-mortar clinics,” said Dunn, who teaches at LSU. The image of the profession tends to be one-dimensional. You had knees surgeryyour back continues to act up or you are injured and have been referred by a doctor to a physical therapist.

You walk several times, get an assessment, and are discharged with exercises to do and tips on how to move more efficiently. “That’s a big part of what physical therapists do,” Earhart said. “But I think a lot of people don’t understand. They think that when they have a major medical problem that a physical problem therapist will massage them until they feel better. That’s not it.”

Follow the dental pattern

Many in the profession prefer to think of physical therapists as we do dentists; patients make appointments for regular examinations. “Even if you don’t have a problem, go in and check everything,” Earhart said. “If there’s trouble that looks like it’s brewing, you move it out of the way.”

An exam might include health history and current health—physical activity, sleep, diet, etc. This would be followed by a look at how you move. It can include things like postural alignment and movement patterns while walking, running, reaching, sitting, and standing. In terms of strength and flexibility, think about muscle imbalances.

Herr is a big proponent of annual wellness visits. For all ages. “Physiotherapists can fall on all sides of the spectrum,” Herr said. “It can be for young, emerging or elite athletes, or for someone who wants to age well and be as functional and independent as possible.”

Think prevention

You can now see a physical therapist in all 50 states without needing a referral from a doctor or surgeon. That’s the good news. “I just don’t think the public knows they can go to a physical therapist without a doctor’s referral,” Dunn said.

The bad news for an annual exam might be the price. These preventive visits are usually not covered by insurance. Earhart estimated that such a visit to the Midwest could cost $150 out of pocket. But such an intervention could save costs—and add healthy years—in the long run.

Herr, who is based in New York, suggested a cost of $200-$300 in a more expensive part of the country. “Surgeries and accidents can still happen, but you’re generally aware of those visits,” Earhart said. “I think if people understood more that the way they’re moving might still be causing them a problem, they’d be much more inclined to see a physical therapist.”

Hips for ballet — or not

We are all built differently, with variations in hip architecture and so on. It may be helpful to assess children early to decide which sports or activities are right for them. Testing beforehand to avoid a problem later is the perfect job for a physical therapist.

“If we looked at kids as they’re choosing sports and said this sport is probably not the right kind of stress for the way you’re together, it could save a lot of pain and trouble down the road,” Earhart said. “Maybe they don’t have hips for ballet.” Distance voters should think so. Some are built more efficiently to avoid injury despite the flow of miles or kilometers. Others are not, and you’d better know in advance.

Fear of falling

Falling – and the fear of falling – are debilitating for the older population. Herr said physical therapists can help with relatively simple interventions. “You want to show people that they can get back up if they fall,” Herr said. “And once they know they can do it, it gives them confidence and can help reduce their fear of falling. One of the risks of falling is that people don’t do anything, so you don’t move and so you become more deformed and not as functional.”

Herr noted that “floor-to-toe” movements involve flexibility, strength, balance and coordination. And planning. “It sounds simple to get up from a lying position on the floor to standing,” Herr said. “But it’s great exercise for all age groups.”

Weight problems

Earhart estimated that perhaps 50 percent of physical therapy patients are there because of overweight problems. “Someone doesn’t have to be morbidly obese for their weight to affect their movement,” she said. “The more weight someone carries, the greater the load on the joints.”

Earhart said she sees patients for “prehab” for a weight-loss surgery known as bariatric surgery, also known as gastric bypass. This involves the digestive system limiting how much patients can eat or the ability to consume calories.

Surgery may also involve rehab visits. Herr said he has seen obese patients lose weight. It may be a matter of motivation, although it is not always that simple.

“I’ve seen people change based on a milestone, like having a baby, and they really want to be a good parent,” Herr said. “They want to be a fit parent and the same as a grandparent. So that motivates people to get involved because of a lifestyle change.”