When someone thinks of a physical therapist its often associated with injury or disease. You only visit a physio after you’ve been in a car accident, are injured while playing sports, or have a chronic disease. The truth is that you don’t need to be in any of these situations to visit a physical therapist. A physio is a primary health care provider. This means, if you wanted you could visit your physical therapist (PT) before your family doctor.
New studies are showing that actually visiting a PT on a regular basis, in addition to regular exercise, could be very beneficial for one’s health. PT’s are trained to maximize the range of movement in a person. By going to see a PT regularly you can keep your body in the best shape possible, maximizing your flexibility and range of movement, which would then positively directly benefit your physical activity.
According to APTA President Paul Rockar Jr., PT, DPT, MS. “Physical therapists are experts in restoring and improving motion in people’s lives. We understand how to help prevent injury from occurring as well as changes in the body that happen with normal aging. With the help of a physical therapist, you can turn midlife into the fittest time of your life.” He suggests that especially our aging population should be visiting physio’s on a regular basis. By doing this, they can boost their patient’s mobility and motion and can help reduce pain associated with age-related conditions such as frozen shoulder, osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain.
Physiotherapists have the ability to improve physical performance and to make life and physical activity more comfortable. If physio’s are primary care providers, and are able to help us in these ways, why wouldn’t we utilize their skills?
Julie's Exercise Science 