National Physical Therapy Month
For those of us in the physical therapy profession fall, and the month of October, brings an exciting annual celebration- National Physical Therapy Month. This year the initiative led by the APTA is #ChoosePT. This initiative or campaign is to raise awareness, educate consumers about the dangers of prescription opioid use, to encourage consumers and physicians to choose safer alternatives like physical therapy for managing pain.
Over the past 15 years, increasing numbers of Americans have been prescribed opioids for pain management. Sales of prescription opioids have quadrupled since 1999 and so have the number of deaths related to prescription opioids and heroin deaths.
The increased use of opioids for pain management in America has created a national health crisis. Due to these statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released guidelines in March 2016 urging prescribers to reduce the use of opioids in favor of non-drug options and safer alternatives to treatment for any type of pain including chronic pain.
LaFayette Physical Therapy completely supports the #ChoosePT initiative which aims to guide physicians, patients, and insurance companies away from dangerous and expensive prescription drugs and promote safer, more cost efficient care.
While opioids only mask the pain, physical therapists treat pain through movement, helping patients improve strength, flexibility, range of motion, gait, balance and more. Opioids have multiple side effects to include depression, overdose, addiction and withdrawal symptoms. Physical therapy “side effects” does just the opposite, improved mobility, increased independence, decreased pain, and prevention of other health problems through movement and exercise.
While educating consumers about the dangers of opioid use is our focus, there are other reasons to #ChoosePT First: Physical Therapy can be an alternative to surgery and through research has been found to be as effective as surgery for conditions including meniscal tears, knee osteoarthritis, rotator cuff tears, back pain and more. Physical therapists provide individualized treatment plans tailored to each person’s needs, and take preexisting conditions into account when setting goals. Physical therapists can also identify additional health issues beyond what the patient initially reports, thereby improving a person’s overall health and quality of life.