Often, we hear of physical therapy’s ability to rehabilitate and heal injuries progressively. However, not everybody is aware of physical therapy’s ability to prevent disabilities. Aside from its role in a patient’s recovery, physical therapy plays an important, but often underutilized, role in preventing future disability.
How Do We Define Disability?
Disabilities are body impairments caused by medical conditions or injuries that limit what we can do physically. They can restrict us from participating in activities, such as doing chores at home, working, driving, or participating in hobbies.
There are several factors that cause the development of disabilities. Illnesses like cancer and diabetes cause many common impairments. Arthritis and injuries also play a role in a person developing a disability. Unhealthy and unsafe lifestyle choices also top the list for why people commonly acquire such conditions. Disabilities also arise because of musculoskeletal problems like back pain or a joint or spine disorder.
Physical Therapy’s Role in Disability Prevention
A transformative treatment that enhances a person’s mobility lessens pain and aids in leading a more active lifestyle. Although commonly related to the recovery process, engaging in physical therapy is one of the best ways you can keep your wellness and health in check.
Patient Education
One of the most important lessons you should consider is the power of information and awareness. Learning about physical therapy from expert practitioners imparts wisdom to patients on how to perform exercises best suited for your body and condition. As such, athletes go as far as to hire physical therapists to design training programs that help them avoid injuries and minimize the chances of painful flare-ups that could happen in the future.
Getting Acquainted With Your Body
Athletes and other active individuals may also consult with physical therapists to get to know their bodies better. Your therapist can help you find your weak spots and discuss steps you can take to improve. They can easily identify your injury risk factors based on how your body is feeling and symptoms you may have. They can help quantify and assess your capacity to be mobile through a full movement screening. Likewise, they can also perform a postural assessment to check for any imbalances.
Avoid Aggravating Your Condition
People who have underlying conditions like diabetes or spine problems can avoid disabilities with the help of physical therapy. Using targeted and straightforward techniques and exercises, physical therapists can assist a person in improving their physical well-being and alleviating risk. For instance, physical therapists recommend exercises and identify activities affecting a patient’s posture to prevent their scoliosis from getting worse. In the long run, this can help you avoid disability because it fixes issues early on. By addressing your symptoms and the beginning stages of your condition or injury, you can prevent it from getting worse and causing you to have a disability in the future.
Endeavor Physical Therapy & Wellness in Austin, Texas
If you wish to prevent a future disability from happening to you or a loved ones, we at Endeavor Physical Therapy & Wellness can help. We can help identify the causes of your symptoms and create a customized physical therapy plan that will help limit the progression of your injury or condition. Our efforts will focus on improving your mobility and wellbeing while reducing the risk of your condition progressing to become a disability.
To make an appointment, please call (512) 284-7192 or request an appointment online.
