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Can Physical Therapy Prevent Future Injuries?
If you think physical therapy is just for rehabilitation, think again. Although physical therapy is great at helping people recover from injury, it can do much more than just help you get back in the game. It can help keep you from getting injured in the first place.
Physical therapists are experts in understanding the way the human body moves, functions, fails, and heals. They have an insider’s perspective on biomechanics, locomotion, and mobility. Physical therapy can serve you well at every stage of life and for every activity you engage in.
At Princeton Pain & Spine Institute, Dinash Yanamadula, MD, encourages patients to engage in proactive physical therapy whether they’re competitive athletes, aging adults, or patients facing surgery. Here are some of the benefits of preventive physical therapy.
Physical therapy can help you in many ways
As noted earlier, physical therapy isn’t just for rehabilitation. Physical therapy can help you in your everyday life. Here are a few of the ways.
Avoid injury
One of the main causes of injury is an imbalance in your musculoskeletal system. You may have a misaligned spine or a weakness in a particular muscle group that puts you at risk. Our team of expert physical therapists can identify these deficiencies, so you can address them and potentially avoid injury. Proactive balance and strength training can prepare you for everyday activities — such as walking and doing chores — and performing in competitive athletics.
Improve performance
If a certain motion is made over and over again, this can put excessive stress and pressure on the key part of that motion — usually a joint, muscle, or tendon — and lead to a repetitive stress injury. Our physical therapists can help you understand the best ways to strengthen the systems that support the parts of your body you use the most. This can help you avoid injuring these areas and also help you achieve a higher level of performance.
Prevent desk injuries
What’s a desk injury? This is the pain and strain that results from poor posture, sitting at your desk too long, or using the wrong office equipment. Physical therapy is a field of medicine that is concerned with proper body mechanics. This includes the way your body is positioned even when you’re not active.
For example, when you bend your neck down slightly to view a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, you effectively double the weight of your head. The average head is 10 pounds. So this means you can put 20 pounds of pressure on your neck just by looking down a little.
In this digital world, you may look down a lot. This may cause neck pain, commonly called “tech neck,” and you may also develop other orthopedic issues. We can help you get a good posture and a good work setup.
Keep you upright
Trips and falls can happen to anyone. However, if they become a pattern because of imbalance or weakness issues — which can come with age or a medical condition — physical therapy can help you regain your balance, strengthen your core muscles, and reduce your tendency to fall.
Make rehabilitation go better
If you’re facing surgery, such as a knee or hip replacement, you likely know that you’ll be in for a significant period of rehabilitation afterward. There is, however, a way to make your rehabilitation go smoother and quicker. We call it prehabilitation.
Prior to your surgery, our team will help you prepare your body, especially the structures surrounding your surgical area. We’ll include activities that can improve your strength, balance, flexibility, and range of motion. The stronger you are before your surgery, the more efficient your rehabilitation will be.
To find out more about how physical therapy can help you in your everyday life, book an appointment online or over the phone with Princeton Pain & Spine Institute today.
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