Should You See A Physical Therapist 1st?
There is a movement underway.
It's called "GetPT1st."
This movement is all about encouraging healthcare consumers, YOU, to access physical therapy services first as the entry into the healthcare system. If you're having musculoskeletal pain or a movement or performance issue, seeking treatment from a physical therapist FIRST has been shown to save money, save time, be just as effective as surgery, and solve the cause of your problem.
If you haven't already guessed, YES, you should see a physical therapist first for any musculoskeletal (bone, muscle, joint, ligament, tendon, etc.) or movement issue. Keep reading to find out why...
Every morning at 7:30am EST, a physical therapist by the name of Dr. Jeff Moore records a live video via Periscope about various topics in the healthcare and physical therapy world.
This morning, Dr. Moore discussed why physical therapists should be looked to as the first line provider for any movement problem. I HIGHLY recommend watching this video if you want to save money, save time, avoid surgery, get out of pain, or simply move better...
Take home points from the video
*Why should you seek treatment from a physical therapist first?
- It's effective
- It saves you money
- The side effects are extremely low
- Avoid surgery
*How is PT effective? While there are MANY studies that have come out in the past five years supporting physical therapy services as the best entry point into the healthcare system, here are three to help shed some light on this topic:
- Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery - physical therapy was demonstrated to be just as effective as surgery for non-traumatic rotator cuff tears (shoulder pain). Please note: this study was done by SURGEONS...NOT physical therapists simply trying to pad our wallets by demonstrating our services work! These surgeons recommended conservative treatment first and so do we. Jumping to surgery for shoulder pain just isn't a good idea without first seeing a physical therapist.
- New England Journal of Medicine - physical therapy was just as effective as surgery for meniscus tears and arthritis in the knee. Again, this study is from medical doctors, NOT physical therapists!
- Health Services Research - for low back pain, seeing your primary care physician and obtaining advanced imaging (MRI) before seeing a physical therapist costs on average $4,793 more in overall healthcare costs. What I hope you're hearing...the faster you seek care from a physical therapist, the more money you save!
*Physical therapists advocate for an "active internal locus of control" for our patients. In other words, we educate and encourage people to grab the reins of their own problems. Most people with pain have received treatment which likely consisted of things done TO them to solve their problem. How many major problems are solved without YOU actually taking control and solving the problem? Probably not many! Physical therapy is about empowering and encouraging people solve problems to get rid of their pain. We do this through education, exercise, and manual therapy.
*Physical therapists don't want to put band aids on problems. We don't do things so you come back to get treatment again and again. We want to solve the problem. We want to help you take control of the problem and get rid of it once and for all. Our entire country could use some of this, wouldn't you agree?
As physical therapists, we don't want to treat AT the population, but rather we walk alongside the population to create improved health and a better life.
For more information, please visit www.GetPT1st.com!
And as always, please do not hesitate to reach out to one of the clinicians at Revive for help with your pain or movement issues. In every state in the U.S., you no longer need a referral to seek care from a physical therapist...meaning, give us a call today to get out of pain and get moving again!
Cheers!