“The pain of yesterday is the strength of today.” – Paulo Coelho
Most people seek physical therapy care when they need help rehabilitating and healing after an injury or a surgery, or are experiencing pain in general. While this is a common reason to seek physical therapy, there are many great reasons to make an appointment with a physical therapist (PT) when you are not currently injured or experiencing pain.
Reason #1: Prevention is key
We all go to a primary care physician to check up on our health once a year, and we perform routine maintenance on our vehicles to prevent bigger issues down the road. Why not have a check up with a PT annually to assess your strength, flexibility, balance, mobility, and injury risk? PTs are movement experts and are trained to observe muscle weakness, range of motion deficits, compensatory movement patterns, and other impairments that could lead to injury down the road if not properly addressed.
Reason #2: Noticing difficulty with functional activities
Have you noticed lately that you have difficulty standing up from a low chair? Or feel off balance when going down stairs? Maybe you can’t play pickleball as well as you used to. Even though pain may not be the current reason you are limited in these activities, you likely have a musculoskeletal issue that is limiting your mobility and function. A PT can help you identify the reasons you are having difficulty performing daily tasks at home and in the community, and can give you targeted exercises to improve your strength, flexibility, and functional ability, which can increase your quality of life. Additionally, addressing musculoskeletal imbalances now can prevent pain and overuse injury down the road.
Reason #3: Sports optimization and injury prevention
From high level athletes to church softball league players and everyone in between, if you notice you are not able to perform at your usual level of skill, agility, endurance, and strength, a PT could help you identify what issues are limiting your ability to play your sport. By addressing underlying weak and tight muscles, you will be less likely to injure yourself playing sports in the future. PTs can also screen athletes for injury risk. By addressing strength and stability issues with a PT, clients can reduce their risk of sports-related injury.
Reason #4: Fall prevention
If you or a loved one is noticing unsteadiness with walking or other activities, seeing a PT for balance therapy is vital in order to prevent falls. Falls can lead to serious injury, even death, and any steps taken to reduce fall risk are crucial in maintaining a healthy and independent lifestyle.
These are just some of the many reasons why you should consider seeing a PT even if you are not currently hurting or injured!
Reach out to us today and we can assess your strength, flexibility, mobility, balance, and injury risk, as well as your overall functional ability. We would love to help improve your quality of life and reduce the risk of pain and injury occurring in the future!
Kind regards,
Dr. Katelyn Renard PT, DPT, OCS.