Most people have no idea how good their body is designed to feel.” ~Kevin Trudeau
Imagine a small leak, at first it is not bad, just a few drops of water. You procrastinate and don’t fix that leak; it is manageable with a bucket. Then those drops of water accumulate in a storm into a much larger and more costly problem, structural damage in addition to other previously hidden consequences such as mold.
I met a man the other day that told me he had recurring knee pain and injury with sport his whole life resulting in multiple knee surgeries big and small. He finally decided to work with a physical therapist. His therapist analyzed his movement, looked at the whole kinetic chain, and suggested a different type of orthotic support. With a few small changes he has been playing basketball pain free ever since. What if this fix had been made 10 years ago? Could he have avoided knee surgeries? Could he have been more active with his kids? Instead he let the roof collapse before seeking help from a movement expert.
Most physical therapists are going to tell you this (or something along these lines): As physical therapists we can help make your body strong and efficient so it will take you further than you ever imagined. You come to us injured and we help return you to your optimal function.
But many do not take the time to explain to you how we accomplish what sounds like a vague dream, what sets us apart from other methods advertised to manage injury and pain? As a consumer you are provided with endless options: chiropractors, personal trainers, massage therapists, surgery, physical therapy, steroid injections, and as I recently read magical brain dust (yes that is real and people pay for it). The list goes on for days with easily accessible options; why should you take the time to get a physician order to see a physical therapist?
The true assessment of the entire body and deep understanding of the body’s miraculous connections is what sets us apart as physical therapists. We perform manual interventions to affect impaired joint mobility, myofascial systems, and nervous systems. We provide you with personalized exercise prescriptions. We analyze your movement and assist you in changing ingrained movement patterns for prevention of pain recurrence. Our model of care is to manage your pain and discomfort in the short term, assist in the healing process, all while working on fixing underlying leaks to prevent recurrence.
Many other models of care offer you a bucket for your leak, a quick fix. A manipulation, an injection, or medicine may all help you in the short term but are they fixing your underlying problem? That is where we as movement experts come in to play. All those treatments have a place, well maybe not magical brain dust. We even utilize manipulations; however, these treatments work best when incorporated into understanding of what is going on with the whole body. Don’t let someone treat just your knee, just your back, not just your isolated area of pain. Don’t let someone tell you to wait and see, if it gets worse go to a therapist.
What if you could find those small leaks while they were manageable? Don’t wait until the roof has collapsed to seek help from your local physical therapist today.