Consumer Tips

Injury prevention tips and sample exercises to help reduce your risk of injury are brought to you by the American Physical Therapy Association:

Did you know?

In a study published in Spine (July 18, 2008), active physical therapy for patients with acute low back pain was associated with better clinical outcomes, decreased use of prescription medications, MRI and epidural injections, and lower costs. Another study in JOSPT (2006) showed that 92% of patients with low back pain meeting certain criteria improved with physical therapy.

How to Avoid Surgery

Physical therapists can help you avoid painful, invasive and expensive surgery.

For instance, research from the New England Journal of Medicine (August 2008)shows that surgery is no more effective than physical therapy, including medical management, for osteoarthritis of the knee. In addition, a combination of manual physical therapy and supervised exercise can delay or prevent the need for surgery.

Water walking, swimming and flexibility exercises can help you avoid surgery. Pursuing an exercise program designed by a physical therapist can be one of the best protections from injury and surgery.

Explore the many ways in which a physical therapist can help you improve your mobility [Ref].

Physical therapists are a great alternative to medication and surgery for musculoskeletal pain.

Eliminating Pain Without Medication

Many types of pain and inflammation can be reduced with the help of a physical therapist, including low back pain, which affects up to 80 percent of Americans during their lifetime. Physical therapy that mobilizes the spine along with specific exercises can help alleviate the pain and can have long-lasting effects.

No matter what part of your body hurts, a physical therapist can help you alleviate or manage pain without costly medication or other invasive methods [Ref].

Improving Mobility & Motion

No matter what area of the body ails you – neck, shoulder, back, knee – physical therapists have an established history of helping individuals improve their quality of life.

A physical therapist can help you improve your quality of life by moving freely again without pain and discomfort and feeling renewed and ready to move on. They can even help you prevent an injury altogether.

Physical therapists understand how the body works and how to get you moving again.

For instance, a study of 1,435 NCAA Division 1 female soccer players demonstrated that those who participated in a physical therapy program had an overall ACL injury rate 41 percent lower than those who did only a regular warm-up prior to practice.

Because physical therapists receive specialized training in a variety of sciences – physics, human anatomy, kinesiology (human movement), to name a few– they understand how the body works and how to get you moving again. They know how to manage all four of the body’s major systems – musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiovascular/pulmonary, and integumentary (skin) – to restore and maximize mobility.

Whether you are living with diabetes, recovering from a stroke, a fall or a sports injury, a physical therapist is a trusted health care professional who will work closely with you to evaluate your condition and develop an effective, personalized plan of care. A physical therapist can help you achieve long-term results for many conditions, such as repetitive stress injuries, arthritis, back and neck pain and posture problems [Ref].

Who is Your Physical Therapist?

Most people can tell you who their dentist or even hairdresser is. People build relationships with these professionals. How often do you hear people discuss who their physical therapists are?

Having a physical therapist who knows you and your functional goals can go a long way when dealing with pain, strength/motion loss, and nerve damage from a variety of injuries. Physical therapists provide individualized and hands-on methods to decrease discomfort and movement limitations.

It’s like knowing who to call for a toothache. Who is your physical therapist?

How Can Physical Therapy Help You?

Physical therapists provide care for people in a variety of settings, including hospitals, private practices, outpatient clinics, home health agencies, schools, sports and fitness facilities, work settings, and nursing homes. Physical therapists diagnose and treat people of all ages, including newborns, children, and elderly individuals. They may consult and practice with other health professionals to help you improve your mobility.

The physical therapist assistant is a licensed individual who works under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist. The physical therapist assistant has the knowledge, skills, and value-based behaviors needed to help implement the interventions prescribed by the physical therapist in the plan of care. Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants are the only valid providers of physical therapy services.

Your Physical Therapist and Physical Therapist Assistant Can Help You With:

Arthritis
Balance Disorders
Back Pain
Knee Pain
Osteoporosis
Overuse Injuries
Shoulder Pain
Stroke
Sprains, strains, and fractures
And much more

In Ohio, you can see a Physical Therapist Without Referral!

In most states, you can make an appointment with a physical therapist directly, without a physician’s referral. In 2004 Ohio became the 39^th state in the nation to authorize physical therapists to evaluate and manage patients without a referral. More information on direct access.

Find My Physical Therapist

Find a PT allows you to search a national database of physical therapist members of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) for the purpose of finding a physical therapist who is right for you.

Become a PT or PTA

Learn more about the profession of physical therapy and how you can become a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant through the links below.