If you think physical therapy is only about rehabilitation after surgery or recovering from an accident, think again. For the vast majority, seeing a physical therapist should be about prevention, routine assessment and staying well. “We’re the best-kept secret in health care,” Sharon Dunn, the past president of the American Physical Therapy Association, told The Associated Press. Roger Herr, the current president of the APTA, and Gammon Earhart, associate dean for physical therapy at the medical school at Washington University in St. Louis, echoed Dunn’s prevention message in separate interviews with the AP. “We need to change our image by getting out of our silos, out of our brick-and-mortar clinics,” said Dunn, who teaches at LSU. The image of the profession tends to be one-dimensional. You’ve had knee surgery, your back keeps acting up or you’re injured and you’ve been referred by a physician to a physical therapist. You go several times, you get an evaluation and you’re discharged with exercises to do and advice about how to move more efficiently. “That’s a big chunk of what physical therapists do,” Earhart said. “But I think a lot of people don’t understand. They think when they have a major medical problem that a physical therapist is going to massage them until they feel better. That’s not what it is.” Follow the dental model Many in the profession favor thinking of physical therapists the way we do dentists; patients make appointments for regular exams. “Even if you’re not having any problem, you go in and have everything checked out,” Earhart said. “If there’s any problems that seem to be brewing, you head them off at the pass.” An exam could include health history and current health — physical activity, sleep, nutrition, etc. This would be followed by a look at how you’re moving. It might include things like postural alignment and movement patterns as you walk, run, reach, sit and stand. In terms of strength and flexibility, think muscle imbalances. Herr is a big backer of annual wellness visits. For all ages. “Physical therapists can fit into all parts of the spectrum,” Herr said. “It can be for the young, emerging athletes or high-end athletes, or someone who wants to age well and be as functional and independent as possible.” Think prevention You can now visit a physical therapist in all 50 states without needing a referral from a physician or surgeon. That’s the good news. “I just don’t think the public knows they can go to a physical therapist without a physician’s referral,” Dunn said. The bad news for an annual exam might be the price tag. These preventative visits are not usually covered by insurance. Earhart estimated such a visit in the Midwest might cost $150 out of pocket. But an intervention like this might save expenses — and add healthy years — in the long run. Herr, who is based in New York, suggested a cost of $200-$300 in a more expensive part of the country. “Surgery and accidents can still happen, but generally you’re on top of things with these visits,” Earhart said. “I think if people understood more that the way they move might be setting them up for a problem down the line, they’d be much more inclined to see a physical therapist.” The hips for […]