Learn About the Benefits of Asking for PT First
Where do you feel it most? Your sore neck, the nagging back pain, or maybe those aching shoulders keep you on the sideline. You might have even reached up to massage them, hoping to relieve some of your pain. Like many, you may ignore these aches and pains to avoid time-consuming and costly medical appointments and procedures. Ignoring your pain does not solve the problem. There must be a better way—a less expensive, faster way to reduce your pain and heal your injuries.
Your physical therapist is always your partner in helping you overcome pain or injury and putting you on the road to health and wellness! You can be prepared for your next big adventure with a physical therapist as your partner.
Make Physical Therapy Your First Line of Defense
Musculoskeletal issues stemming from the neck, shoulders, and back are very common, with approximately 1.71 billion people worldwide suffering from a musculoskeletal injury. But treatment for these issues often comes with significant downsides, such as:
- Long wait times for physician appointments, insurance referrals, and diagnostic testing, all of which prolong your pain as you wait
- Dependency on pain medications and opioids to manage pain while waiting for specialist appointments and diagnostic testing
- Additional costs of diagnostic imaging such as X-rays or MRIs
- Time off from work to coordinate specialist appointments
- Expensive and invasive surgical procedures before trying conservative treatment
- Prolonged recovery times
Up to 70% of U.S. adults will experience neck pain that interferes with their daily activities during their lifetime—and almost 70% of people who report shoulder pain experience it throughout their entire lives. Choosing physical therapy before seeking this more extensive medical care can help relieve pain and restore mobility while saving you valuable time, money, and hassle.
How Physical Therapy Can Help
What should you expect during physical therapy? To learn a lot! What your care will include, how quickly it will progress, and when it will conclude depends on each patient. No two patients are the same, no two injuries are the same, and each patient’s care plan is unique to them. Generally speaking, the typical length of care when attending physical therapy is approximately eight weeks. During that time, your care will include four primary stages outlined below.
Personalized Programs
After conducting a thorough evaluation of your medical history, injury, symptoms, and daily activities, your physical therapist will identify the root cause of your pain and determine the appropriate steps for treatment. With your feedback, they will create a customized physical therapy care plan outlining each step of your rehabilitation process.
Strength & Flexibility
Exercise is a common option used to treat persistent pain, and it’s proven to decrease inflammation, increase mobility, mobilize nervous tissue, and decrease overall pain. Taking a comprehensive look at your current health, pain levels, and ability, your physical therapist will be able to prescribe the best stretches and exercises that specifically target and mitigate your pain for short-term and long-term relief.
Manual Therapy
Staying up to date on the latest industry innovations and best practices, physical therapists use hands-on manual therapy and joint mobilization techniques, dry needling, and other strategies to ease pain, reduce swelling, and encourage healthy movement.
Discharge Plan to Maintain Wellness
The final piece of your care is your discharge plan. All the hard work you’ve put into your rehabilitation has brought you to your discharge. Like any exercise program, when you stop your home exercise plan, you risk a decrease in strength and function. So, as your physical therapist tells you, keep up those exercises to maintain the best outcomes for your injury!
Your physical therapy care plan is a roadmap from your first appointment to your discharge appointment, giving you the tools needed to achieve your rehab goals and maintain your condition in the weeks and months ahead.
What If I Need Other Medical Services?
It can be challenging to understand whether your pain or injury requires the expertise of a specialist. We can help with that, too. Your physical therapist has the advanced training needed to screen your pain. With your health as the #1 priority, they will help explain what their findings reveal and will do so in a way that you understand completely.
They’ll refer you to a trusted specialist if your condition requires further medical attention. But their work doesn’t stop there. They’ll continue coordinating with your specialist to keep up to date on your condition. Based on your progress, if rehabilitation is needed later, they will be ready and waiting for you, working with your full healthcare team to ensure you get the best outcomes possible.
Find Relief and Knowledge With Your Physical Therapist
When you choose physical therapy, you can experience pain relief, gain an understanding of your unique injury diagnosis, and find a partner in health for the years ahead. With physical therapy, you’ll experience a true partnership. A licensed medical professional who works with you to create a customized recovery plan for long-lasting relief.
We’ve listed the many benefits of choosing physical therapy—now it’s time to take action to experience the value it can bring to your life. Call your nearest Bay State Physical Therapy location or complete the form below to request an appointment.
Tags: fitness goals, health, PT first, physical therapy benefits, pain
