3 Reasons to Love Physical Therapy
Many people view physical therapy as a short-term solution to jumpstart recovery, build strength, and achieve overall health. While it is a proven rehabilitative option, that is often only the first step. Physical therapy may also be a helpful long-term option to help you live an active, independent, and pain-free lifestyle. At EA, we are certainly physical therapy fanatics, but why exactly do we love it? We’ll do our best to sum it up in three reasons.
1. Physical Therapy Promotes Overall Health & Wellness
As the trusty Webster’s Dictionary puts it, physical therapy is the treatment of disease, injury, or deformity by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment, and exercise rather than by drugs or surgery. This is an excellent definition; however, as licensed providers of physical therapy, we have dedicated our lives to focusing on the person in addition to the problem. For that reason, the American Physical Therapy Association defines physical therapists as movement experts who improve quality of life through prescribed exercise, hands-on care, and patient education.
At EA, we provide care and training on-site, and we set each of our patients up with the resources they need to be physically healthy. In addition, we focus on other aspects of life including nutrition, environment, emotions, mental health, and social wellness. We use this holistic approach to work with our patients to ensure that their commitment to physical therapy also promotes health and wellness in every aspect of their lives.
2. Physical Therapy is an Intervention
Living with a complex medical condition or chronic pain can be debilitating. Often times, surgery and pain medication are options to provide relief, however, physical therapy is an important intervention to consider.
While there are several opioids available to help alleviate the pain, they often only mask the underlying problem. The CDC recommends choosing physical therapy in place of opioids in almost every scenario. Physical therapy decreases many serious risks and complications caused by opioids including heart disease, diabetes, and depression.
In addition to being a drug-free form of pain management, it can also prevent or delay the need for surgery. Surgery might seem like the fastest solution to alleviate pain or injury; however, this is rarely the case as many surgeries include lengthy recovery. We recommend trying physical therapy before choosing surgery when possible. If surgery is necessary, it is beneficial to participate in pre-and post-physical therapy for successful surgery and rehabilitation.
3. Physical Therapy is Proven to Work
Meet Phyllis! She loves her family, being active, and enjoying life. She also has a history of living with chronic pain. After surgery, unsuccessful pain relief treatments, and months of sleepless nights, she started her journey at EA. With some guided support from our therapeutic health team, Phyllis committed to her therapy sessions and at-home maintenance plan. What does she love most about EA? “I love the whole staff at EA. They are courteous, friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. They really listened when I told them about my problems.”
Physical therapy works. We love it, and we hope these reasons will make you love it, too. If you’re in need of support, take the next step and give us a call. Together, we will continue your journey to happiness, health, and independence. Learn more and stay up to date about EA happenings and offerings on Facebook and Instagram.