Physical therapy, which treats diseases and injury through physical methods such as exercise and stretching, is often thought of as guided exercise to rehabilitate your body; however, there is much more to physical therapy than you may think. Because October is National Physical Therapy Month, we are diving into what physical therapy is and why movement is an important piece to your overall health.
Physical therapy is different from other forms of treatment, and physical therapists use their skills and expertise to improve their patients’ daily lives through drug-free treatment.
When recovering from most injuries or chronic pain, physical therapy is often one of the first steps you can take towards a full recovery. Most patients think they know how to move properly…until their treatment starts. Your physical therapist will chat with you about your medical history, your lifestyle, and your current exercise routine so that they can create a customized treatment plan and help you set achievable goals.
“The unique quality of the physical therapy staff at ACPT is that treatment is not cookie-cutter,” says physical therapist Joe Trimarchi. “Our patients are not just a number on an assembly line, so treatment is individualized and customized to each patient based on their particular needs.”
Whether you are young and have a sports injury or an older adult with chronic pain, there is a treatment plan that will help improve your ability to function in your daily life!
The ability to properly move – and doing so without pain – not only benefits your physical health but also your mental health.
Injury and chronic pain can negatively affect your mental health. For example, daily chronic pain can cause some people to feel trapped and hopeless. Because physical and mental health are so strongly connected, physical therapists use a holistic approach to their treatments that considers both of these factors. This holistic treatment can help you feel more in tune with your body and as though you’ve regained control of your life.
Joe Trimarchi, PT explains, “quite simply, movement is life. The more you can move, the better your physical and mental functioning. What I love about being a PT is that we help patients help themselves, without having to resort to drugs or surgery. We can see patients transform right before our eyes.”
Content in this article was written with information from AZUSA Pacific University, Brain Center Southpoint, and The Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute.