Physical Therapy Awareness Month – The Importance of PT

Celebrating Physical Therapy Awareness Month

Physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) across the United States work every day to allow their patients to run, walk, and complete their daily activities with the least pain possible. Physical therapy allows patients to become more active to improve their general health and wellness as well. It has been proven time after time that physical activity improves heart and lung health, prevents chronic diseases like heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes, and boosts the immune system, allowing people to fight diseases like COVID-19 and flu viruses more effectively.

Celebrate national physical therapy month with your hard-working therapists!

If you are like most people, you know what physical therapy is and have benefited or know someone who has benefited from it. The profession of physical therapy dedicates October each year as physical therapy month to celebrate what the profession is capable of, and we invite you to discover what physical therapists can offer you and your loved ones.

What Can A Physical Therapist Do For You?

Physical therapists are now required to have a clinical doctorate degree and can see patients without a referral from a physician across the United States. This means you can see a physical therapist for your first appointment for pain or weakness and trust them to refer you to a physician if they cannot help you. You should inquire with your PT on local laws to make sure that your insurance covers direct access services. Physical therapists improve their patients’ lives in every healthcare setting imaginable – hospitals, nursing homes, home care, schools, outpatient clinics, surgery centers, and telehealth. PTs can help someone with any movement problem, at any age, and with various diagnoses reach their goals. That sounds vague on purpose…PTs truly work with anyone who struggles with movement, and not just with injuries and pain.

PTs can help your child catch up with other kids if he takes longer to crawl and walk. Therapy can help your grandmother safely navigate her stairs after having a stroke. Therapy can also help people with life-changing diagnoses, like spinal cord injury, return to their activities of daily living, keep their range of motion, and work with adaptive equipment. The list goes on as therapists take on whatever challenge their patients have and help to solve it.

Importance of Physical Therapy

The field of physical therapy is crucial in our society. PTs serve as advocates for wellness, serve to prevent disease and injury, and are problem solvers when it comes to helping patients move better without pain. Healthcare costs in the United States are nearly $120 billion just to cover treatment for diseases related to lacking physical activity. Physical therapists are leaders in guiding patients with chronic conditions like obesity and heart disease achieve healthy levels of exercise. A physical therapist will create an exercise program personalized for you based on your goals, level of fitness, and any medical conditions or concerns you have.

Physical therapists have adapted over the years to fulfill the needs of the communities they serve. They have filled unique roles such as helping patients recover from COVID-19, figuring out better ergonomics for all sorts of jobs, and specializing in areas of practice that better serve their patients including geriatrics, pediatrics, and orthopedics.

Physical therapists go into the profession to help their patients and society at large become healthier and empowered to achieve goals they have around improving their movement. Virtually anyone can benefit from seeing a physical therapist. Nearly everyone has or will experience a condition that prevents them from moving as well as they used to. Now that you see just how much physical therapy offers, spread the word about the tremendous benefit that this service will add to the lives of your friends and family.