What is Physical Therapy, and How Can it Help Me?
Maybe you had undergone physical therapy (PT) before, begrudgingly, after your doctor gave you a referral following an accident or injury (or even surgery).
Perhaps you are entirely new to PT and have either heard about it, read about it somewhere, or know someone who may be going through it, and you’re just curious about the different aspects of physical therapy.
Regardless, I thought writing a blog about the different ways PT is defined and what elements come together to help provide patients relief from pain and injury and heal would help many people.
To start, we’ll ask the question: What does a physical therapist do?
Physical therapists are highly educated healthcare professionals who help patients reduce pain and restore mobility and, in many cases, lessen the need for surgery and use of pain medications.
These trained professionals possess the skills needed to diagnose patients of all ages and give them all the right tools to help with their pain, including exercise, hands-on care, and patient education.
This article will explore what elements make up PT and how physical therapy at Move Empower is an even more unique and promising experience.
PT can improve your quality of life
Physical therapy, or P.T., can take many different forms. At times it involves exercise. It can also apply hands-on techniques to improve your joint or muscle’s ability to move and contract.
Physical therapy can help “wake up” underperforming muscles and “turn off” the ones overacting. P.T. can get rid of headaches, help you run that 5K race pain-free, rid neck and shoulder pain that keeps you up at night, and educates you on performing activities not to aggravate an injury correctly.
What to expect during PT
Are you asking yourself the question, “what can I expect from physical therapy?” If yes, you are not alone. Many patients may be hesitant to try physical therapy for the first time simply because they do not know what to expect going in. I am here to demystify what the experience of going to a physical therapy session is like at Move Empower Concierge Physical Therapy.
One of the most important things a healthcare professional can do for their patients is to listen. At Move Empower PT, we hang our hat on being great listeners. We let our patients tell their story which is a powerful tool to help determine the true underlying issues of a injury or pain. We don’t just chase the symptoms, instead we determine the root cause of your pain and tailor treatment specific to the patient and their goals.
Physical therapy can empower you.
Physical Therapy should be an educational experience as well. My bias is that the patient should understand what the underlying or root cause of their problem is. Without understanding the disease process, how can you effectively correct it and, most importantly, prevent future episodes?
In a study performed by Childs and Whitman et al. (2005), “experienced physical therapists had higher levels of knowledge in managing musculoskeletal conditions than medical students, physician residents, and all physician specialists except for orthopedic surgeons.”
As you can see, physical therapists have the knowledge base to identify and treat most musculoskeletal pathologies correctly.
Physical therapy can and should be incredibly individualized.
In the decade and a half of practicing, I know one thing for sure, and that is that no two patients are the same. Each person’s needs, experiences, and personalities are different.
Keeping this in mind, a patient’s treatment should be tailored to their specific needs and goals. At Move Empower Concierge Physical Therapy, you will always have one-on-one care with a specifically tailored treatment plan at the convenience of your location of choice.
PT is NOT any of the following:
Physical therapy is not torture
If I had a dime for every time, I have heard someone exclaim, “you know what P.T. stands for? It stands for physical torture,” I would have a lot of money stored away!
If this is what your experience was with P.T., then let me be the first to apologize on behalf of my profession. Physical therapy does not need to be painful.
At the most basic level, we promote joints to move in appropriate patterns while activating muscles to fire with proper timing and force. This can easily be accomplished without triggering the body’s alarm system and causing pain.
Physical therapy should not use a “cookie-cutter” approach.
Once you have completed your initial evaluation, your physical therapist will educate you on an exercise program specific to your needs. Your exercise program is specific to the movement impairments and strength deficits found during your evaluation. It will be progressive and change according to how well you are doing each visit. Do not expect to perform the same exercise each visit or put on passive modalities like hot pads.
You might be wondering about some other ways that Move Empower Physical Therapy is different from other clinical physical therapy settings. For example, should you struggle with a particular movement pattern, we will not skip it and move on. Instead, we will find an alternative exercise to produce desired movement or muscle activation.
Physical therapy should be tailored to each individual’s needs. That is the kind of attention you will receive at Move Empower, unlike other outpatient clinical settings where a physical therapist’s time must be divided among multiple patients.
Physical therapy should not be boring!
At Move Empower Concierge Physical Therapy, expect a full hour of attention on you and the quality of how you move. I will push you mentally and physically but within reason. I will always listen and only advise when warranted. Your therapy journey is a team approach and a fun one at that.
Physical therapy can mean many different things to people. Our primary focus of providing PT treatment is to help you move and feel better without relying on pain medications and surgery.
Are you ready? I am!
To learn more about how PT is different at Move Empower, give us a call at 512-659-5615 today to speak with me, Eric Finger, Founder of Move Empower! Together, we can find a treatment plan that works for you.
Take a look below at some of my patient testimonials to learn more about their experience working at Move Empower:
“I bought the eight-session pack from Eric to help recover my foot that had fallen to pieces from being barefoot in the house during the pandemic. Starting from the first session, I had improvements. I just finished my last session, and my foot has recovered to pre-pandemic strength and beyond. I am a very active person, so this has made life a lot better. Eric is a calm, patient, and talented physical therapist that I highly recommend (quite often) to other members at the gym and martial arts.” –Skylar N.
“Eric is a true professional in every sense of the word. Strong work ethic, listens to the customer, and provides custom solutions to help you move toward your goals. I would highly recommend his services!” -David S.
“It’s clear that [Eric] cares about his patients’ progress and goals, given how he attentively listens and follows up. I would definitely recommend this provider to anyone experiencing stubborn or emerging pain!” –Trisha
Ready to start your physical therapy journey? Get your FREE discovery session today!