You may have seen my recent Instagram post where I talked about how important I feel it is to “Have a PT in your corner!” It was part of my series on Running Tips. I want to expand on my thoughts a little because I believe that A) having a PT in your corner isn’t just a good tip for running and active populations, but for everyone who has a body and/because B) PTs are hands down the best healthcare professional to treat musculoskeletal pain.
So first, what does musculoskeletal mean? It just means anything pertaining to the muscles, bones, structures in between them, like ligaments, joints, and tendons, and the things that make them work like nerves. Did you know PTs spend the bulk of their 3 years of doctorate level education just learning how to identify, diagnose, and treat musculoskeletal symptoms? We are the experts when it comes to our body’s foundational structure that allows us to move, play, lift, push, pull, carry, hug, throw, swim, kick, dance, you name it. But we are also really good at a couple of other things that allow us to be even better at taking care of aches and pains.
We love looking at and breaking down biomechanics – simply meaning the way our bodies move. PTs can look at the way you walk, get up and down from a chair, do a push-up, or put something up on a high shelf and understand all the intricacies of how you perform the movement and how to help you maximize efficiency with it.
We also have a luxury of time with our patients that most healthcare professionals don’t. A normal PT visit can last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour (in a good PT setting), and most of the time we see our patients at least once per week when we are working on a goal. When was the last time you had that much time at a doctor’s appointment? It’s not your physician’s fault, it’s the structure of our healthcare system, but, for now, PTs get a glorious amount of time to evaluate, assess, and work with you, getting to know you, your body, and your goals better along the way. There have been countless times I’ve been able to get to the root of a problem with a patient who hadn’t had success in other settings simply because we had the luxury of time to work together, build rapport, and watch responses and progress over time.
On top of all that, many of us dedicate our continuing education time to furthering our knowledge of training principles and specialize in working with a particular type of patient, like older adults, pediatrics, women’s health, athletes, runners, and often even specific types of injuries or conditions.
All this to say, when it comes to the human body and how it moves, we know our stuff! And I think it’s safe to say we all got into the field of physical therapy to help people feel and move better and we love when we get to see people reach their goals!
SO….
We have a primary physician for medical management and general wellbeing, a dentist to take care of our teeth, an accountant to do our taxes, and a mechanic we call when our car makes that weird sound. All experts we trust to help us prevent things from going awry and to give us good advice and treatment and management when they do (because that’s life).
IT MAKES SENSE TO HAVE A MOVEMENT SPECIALIST (ahem, a PT), IN YOUR CORNER, TOO! * Let us be a resource for you when an injury pops up, something feels weird after that 10 mile run, or your back is cranky after a weekend traveling. We are trained in figuring out that finicky twinge when you take a step, rehabbing it, and getting you back on your feet and functioning at your best as quickly and safely as possible. Often, patients even tell me they feel better after doing PT than they did even before the injury occurred.
If you don’t already have one, add a PT to your team of healthcare providers. We can help you move your best, train better, and recover more fully when an injury does occur.
*Many states don’t even require a referral from your physician to see to see a PT! North Carolina (where I’m a PT) doesn’t, but different states have different rules so check here to see what your state might require. I also guarantee if you have questions, any PT near you would know their state laws and be happy to talk with you. We are all just out here working to get people moving and feeling better.
0 Comments