It’s widely known that physical therapists are your source for recovering from injuries. But that’s not all we do! No matter what stage of life you’re in, partnering with a physical therapist can help you and every member of your family proactively improve health and prevent injury.
Physical Therapists Help You Make the Most of Life
Childhood
Adolescence is a crucial time in a child’s life with rapid growth and vital development. Working together with both child and their family or caregiver, physical therapists leverage their unique expertise to improve movement, encourage stable motor development, and build strength and endurance. Pediatric physical therapy can take many forms, including:
- Working with other care providers to help guide services in a home or school environment to enhance safety
- Educating on proper posture during day-to-day activities
- Facilitating smooth transitions between early childhood, school, into adult life
- Providing expert insight and information on a child’s physical and healthcare needs to families and caregivers.
When providing care to children, we treat many of the same diagnoses and provide similar services when compared to our adult patients, including joint pain, muscle sprains, and pre- & post-surgical care.
Adulthood
It’s not a secret that adulthood often comes with changes to our activity levels, which can result in aches and pains that didn’t exist when you were younger. It happens, but it doesn’t have to last. Here are a few of the many proactive reasons to partner with a physical therapist to keep you moving and feeling your best so you can enjoy your family and loved ones.
Prevent Chronic Pain
Pain can become chronic when the cause of the initial pain isn’t correctly managed. Your brain may trick you into thinking your body is hurt all the time, so addressing the pain when it first occurs is vital! With proven services and innovative techniques, stretches, and exercises, your physical therapist will give you the tools and care you need to prevent injuries before they happen and keep your pain from becoming chronic.
Avoid Surgery When Possible
Addressing injuries and pain before they become chronic can help you avoid surgery and reduce surgical risks, costs, and recovery time. In one study, those that received physical therapy instead of surgery found that their symptoms subsided more than those who received surgery first. In addition, participants that received surgery as a first line of treatment reported lasting symptoms from the surgery and were more likely to need additional surgery.
Surgery Needed? Prepare Before and Recover Faster
If surgical intervention is necessary, physical therapy is a fantastic resource to prepare beforehand, a service known as pre-habilitation. Studies have shown that patients who perform a range of motion, strength, aerobic, balance, and flexibility training before surgery are less likely to require inpatient rehabilitation and often have faster recovery times.
The Golden Years
During this phase of life, a common concern for the older members of your family is the risk of falling, but falls are not an inevitable part of aging! Balance and stability are key to preventing falls and injuries. Partnering with a physical therapist before a fall occurs is crucial. Why? Physical therapists can use established benchmarks to determine their patient’s risk of falls. Along with any additional findings from the evaluation, they will then prescribe exercises and activities that are personalized to each patient, with the goal to increase balance and reduce the risk of falls. Physical therapists can give you the proper training and education to increase safety and help you maintain independence.
Bay State Physical Therapy, Your Partner in Health
If you could take steps to prevent injuries for yourself or your loved ones before they happen, why wouldn’t you? Whether it’s strengthening your back to help you pick up your toddler or keeping your body in tip-top shape to help you live independently longer, at Bay State Physical Therapy, your treatment is a partnership. We’ll work with you through every stage of life to make sure your body is ready for whatever comes next!
To learn more, call your nearest Bay State Physical Therapy location or complete the form below to request an appointment.
Resources:
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/fall-prevention-exercises
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/balance-training-seems-to-prevent-falls-injuries-in-seniors-201310316825
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6635278/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35421834/
- https://www.ajmc.com/view/payers-embrace-the-value-of-physical-therapy-to-reduce-costs
