Physical Therapy Benefits
Physical Therapy benefits
Why choose Physical Therapy? There are various treatments and ways to approach an injury or problem. With an abundance of information online, it can be hard to decide where to go for the problem you face. When it comes to pain or movement issues, Physical Therapists are the experts you want to work with to assess, improve, and rehab your body. They have spent many years studying the human body and are the movement experts when it comes to the neuromusculoskeletal systems.
Physical Therapists are trained to assess your movement and provide a path forward. With direct access, they’re able to perform an evaluation to determine whether your issues are appropriate for physical therapy, or if you need another healthcare provider.
There are many reasons to start physical therapy, yours may be different than others. Here are a few common reasons physical therapy can be the best treatment to improve your function, decrease pain and lower risk of injury.
Cost of healthcare
Physical Therapy is cost effective compared to other healthcare costs. There is a direct correlation between patients who attend physical therapy and the overall cost of healthcare for a patient. A study by Fritz et al found that patients had a lower average cost of $2,736 when they started PT within 14 days of symptom onset. Having quick access and treatment can improve overall outcomes and prevent chronic symptoms from occurring, plus decrease the overall cost. Magel et al also found that early treatment with physical therapy after an emergency department visit reduced health care cost by $5,000 in the 12 months following. The need for additional treatments decreased for those patients. There has been evidence showing a decrease in surgeries, imaging and medications needed by patients if they attended physical therapy as prescribed.
Physical therapy compared to other treatments
Physical therapists will provide a variety of treatments with a combination of exercises and hands on techniques. These techniques may include soft tissue or joint mobilizations, stretches, muscular activation or manipulations. Compared to other treatments, these techniques and exercises have a lower risk of side effects and can improve your progress faster.
There are times when surgery is the most effective and needed treatment. In these cases, they might include trauma or speed is required for any life saving interventions. It is also considered when all other resources have been eliminated. There is a reason why most patients must go through physical therapy treatments before any surgery will be performed. This is due to the benefits that physical therapy can provide to improve the tissue integrity and function using the body to heal itself. If you’re able to improve with exercises and changing movement patterns, you can avoid surgery . This decreases the length and money spent for the recovery process. Depending on the surgery and extent of injury, patients will continue to recovery after surgery for 6-12 months.
Physical Therapists can work with you to avoid surgery, however, they also understand there may be a time when surgery is necessary and will help you determine if that’s the best option for your situation. If there is a need for surgery, having more range of motion and strength in the surrounding body region before the procedure can improve progress after. Physical therapists also increase the speed and extent of recovery after surgery.
Other treatments that may include steroids or medications may assist in the healing process, however, they usually don’t change the main cause. The tissue will continue to get irritated or aggravated if you don’t address the underlying cause. Once the medication ends, the symptoms often return.
Physical Therapy improves long term outcomes
Physical therapy treatments are aimed to change the root cause of the symptoms. Finding the tissues that are causing the problem and the reason WHY is part of the evaluation process. This can take some time since every person is different, there are many tissues within the body, and individual factors (job, habits, etc) that contribute to the cause. Physical Therapists spend more time with you than most other healthcare providers to find these issues. A typical plan of care includes seeing them two to three times a week for 6 weeks, but it will vary based on the need of the patient. It takes time for tissues to change, and you’ll want to work with a Physical Therapist to ensure improvements are occurring. As you progress, you’ll need occasional reassessments and progression of exercises.
Depending on the extent of your symptoms and how long they’ve been occurring, you may need to continue your routine and treatments on your own. The longer you’ve had symptoms, the longer it takes for tissues to return to their prior level. Physical Therapists will teach you what to continue to maintain and continue your progress on your own.
To prevent future problems or decrease risk of symptoms returning, performing exercises to keep your musculoskeletal system healthy is a lifelong dedication. The exercises you learn from a Physical Therapist can be important to incorporate to your workout or movement routine for the foreseeable future.
Conclusion
Physical Therapy can be the best option for neuromusculoskeletal issues. Based on different studies and research, it can be cost effective, low risk, and increase speed of recovery. It can be important to address issues quickly and most US states allow direct access to Physical Therapists. Working with a Physical Therapist can improve your overall progress with pain, function, and risk of injury.