PT for Pain: Make the Most of Your Deductible
The end of the year often means the resetting of health insurance deductibles (the amount you pay for health care costs before your insurance plan starts to pay). If you’re like me and have met your deductible for the year, now might be the time to address issues that have been plaguing you over the past year and beyond.
The Faces of National Physical Therapy Month
During National Physical Therapy Month, we recognize our hard-working therapists and the positive impact they have on our patients’ lives. Throughout the month of October, we’ve highlighted 30+ members of our team across our social media channels to showcase their expertise. Read below to learn more about our clinicians, their specialties, some of their favorite patient stories and the impact they’re making in providing quality care to our patients.
Say No to Pain Killers, Say Yes to Physical Therapy
We are all too familiar with pain; it is truly one of the unfavorable guarantees that we have in life. Whether it be emotional or physical pain, we learn at a young age that pain is a reality that we all must face. In fact, there is a direct link between our physical pain and emotional wellness. Often times, emotional stressors are manifested in our physical ailments. Just as often, we find ourselves with physical impairments that can trigger certain emotional responses affecting our moods and perspectives.
Low Back Pain in Young Adults
Low back pain is one of the most common ailments treated in outpatient physical therapy clinics today. Back pain can be debilitating and negatively affect quality of life to a large degree, and as a younger individual, it is something that is not often thought of as a potential injury. Yet, low back pain is fairly common in the younger population; up to 10-25% of the population in their late teens to early 40s report back pain. In this age group, low back is commonly described in the research as “non-specific back pain,” meaning back pain does not have a known cause or correlation to MRI or X-Ray imaging. Most acute, non-specific back pain usually resolves on its own within 6 weeks and with appropriate rest, good nutrition, light activity and a positive outlook, you can help manage the severity of your pain.
3 Reason to See a PT When You’re Not Injured
For most people, physical therapy is only considered after an injury or surgical procedure. Unlike medical doctors, dentists and eye doctors, people do not consider going to a physical therapist for yearly check-ups. However, if you are training for a particular event, interested in finding out your injury risk level for specific sports, want to improve your balance or are considering seeking preventative care to decrease risk of age-related issues, physical therapy may be the best option to consider. Physical therapists are trained to be movement experts. They evaluate their patients based on functional movement screens, strength testing, range of motion measurements and special tests to determine muscular deficiencies and imbalances. Discussing goals during your first session with your therapist will allow for performance of a specific exam and creation of a unique exercise program built for you. Here are three reasons you may want to consider seeing a physical therapist even though you may not be in pain or have an injury.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Physical Therapist
Did you know physical therapists can treat patients with headaches? Or did you know that physical therapists now receive a doctorate level education? Continue reading to discover ten things you didn’t know about your physical therapist.
The Benefits of Physical Therapy Throughout Your Life
Physical therapy can be a wonderful treatment for mild aches and pains to severe and crippling conditions. In most states, you have the ability to see a physical therapist first without the need of a referral making it easier than ever to treat your pain and symptoms. There are many benefits to physical therapy throughout the course of your life.
Concussions in Gymnasts: Symptoms and Treatment
Gymnastics is considered a high risk sport for head and neck injuries. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that can occur from a direct or indirect force on the head. In gymnastics this can be the result of falling on the head, collision with equipment, collision with another athlete, or a fall where the head does not directly take the blow but a whiplash type movement occurs. In each of these scenarios, the brain moves rapidly inside the skull.
