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What is physical therapy and how does it relate to Health and
Wellness?
Chances are, at one
time or another, you or someone you know will be seen by a physical
therapist for some type of injury or illness, consultation or
disability. A Physical Therapist is specially trained in the
examination and treatment of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular
problems that affect ones abilities to move and function as well as
they can in their daily lives. Individuals typically see physical
therapists for rehabilitation after an injury or illness to restore
strength, mobility, flexibility, balance or decrease pain.
Now if that sounds like a pretty generic definition that encompasses
a lot of problems, well - it is and it does.
Today, physical therapy provides health care services to patients of
all ages and health conditions. It serves infants with birth defects
to aid motor development and functional abilities; athletes to
return to sport; people with burns and wounds to prevent abnormal
scarring and loss of movement; amputees to return to walking; people
after joint replacement surgery; survivors of strokes to regain
movement, function, and independent living; patients with cancer to
regain strength and relieve discomfort; patients with low back
problems to reduce pain and restore function; and patients with
cardiac involvement to improve endurance and achieve independence.
The scope of physical therapy practice extends far beyond a generic
definition and so therefore do its practitioners. Because physical
therapists are required to understand a vast array of problems that
can affect movement, function, and health, all physical therapists
are college graduates. In fact, all current physical therapist
education programs graduate students at a master's degree level,
with many schools offering a clinical doctorate in physical therapy.
All physical therapists must pass a national examination and be
licensed by the state in which they practice.
Physical therapy also provides for preventive exercise programs and
programs to promote general health and fitness, postural
improvement, and industrial safety and health. This is where
physical therapy fits into the health and wellness. As experts on
the biomechanics of the human body, analysis of an individual’s
flexibility/lack of flexibility, strength/lack of strength,
balance/lack of balance etc. may reveal a physical problem that is
waiting to happen. By addressing the problem before it happens, the
physical therapist has promoted health and wellness. Physical
therapists work as consultants to industries to improve workplace
design and reduce the risk of such things as muscle overuse or
developing low back pain. A large part of a physical therapist's
program is directed at preventing injury and loss of movement.
The shift in toward our society from emphasis on treating a problem
after it has occurred to preventing the problem before it occurs is
a concept that took hold in my opinion when the beloved HMO’s came
into popularity. Since then the shift toward prevention has been
very slow. For example, many, many published research articles have
supported exercise for prevention of cardiac, vascular, orthopedic,
respiratory, gastrointestinal and even mental health issues,
however, most managed care companies do not give financial incentive
for an individual to ‘keep fit’ or exercise, a very few reimburse
for this preventative ‘medicine’. Actually insurance companies wind
up spending a lot more money to treat an illness as a result of poor
health than they would spend to potentially prevent it through
fitness programs. There is some progress in this area as indicated
by Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield’s participation in the ‘Silver
Sneakers’ programs that allow senior citizens to use specified
facilities for exercise and wellness programs. What about the rest
of us?
Anyway, off of my soapbox about managed care and health insurance.
I hope my brief description of physical therapy explains how it fits
into the Health and Wellness industry. I look forward to providing
you the reader with some useful information every other week on
subjects of health and wellness, injury prevention and
rehabilitation topics. Please feel free to contact me if you have an
area of interest in health and wellness that I may give some input
on.
Upcoming Topics: low
back pain
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