What Can a Physical Therapist Do For You?

“No matter what area of the body ails you – neck, shoulder, back, knee – physical therapists have an established history of helping individuals improve their quality of life.” www.apta.org

Bullet points are always a terrific way to showcase information, and here are some great ones from the American Physical Therapy Association's website.  With all the medical specialties out there, you might be wondering, "Why would I need a physical therapist? What can a physical therapist do for me?"

Below are some of the reasons why you would want to consult with a physical therapist:

• A physical therapist can help you move freely again without pain and discomfort and feeling renewed and ready to move on.
• They can even help you prevent an injury altogether.
• They understand how the body works and how to get you moving again.
• They know how to manage all four of the body's major systems – musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiovascular/pulmonary, and integumentary (skin) – to restore and maximize mobility.
• They will work closely with you to evaluate your condition and develop an effective, personalized plan of care.
• They can help you achieve long-term results for many conditions that limit your ability to move.
• They can design personalized treatment plans to reduce the risk of injury whether in everyday activities or sports.
• They can help you prevent falls by designing an individualized program of exercises and activities with an emphasis on strength, flexibility, and proper gait.
• If necessary, they can refer you to other medical professionals.

Information from www.apta.org

Exercise

"Patients who exercise during cancer treatment experienced less emotional distress than those who were less active.  Increasing exercise was also associated with less fatigue and more vigor.  Home-based walking is a simple, sustainable strategy that may be helpful in improving a number of symptoms encountered by a patient undergoing active treatment for cancer."  excerpt from Impact of a Home-Based Walking Intervention on Outcomes of Sleep Quality, Emotional Distress, and Fatigue in Patients Undergoing Treatment for Solid Tumors,The Oncologist 2013; 18:476-484

Although this quote comes from a rather scholarly article, the truth of it cannot be denied.  There's plenty of evidence supporting the benefits of exercise during cancer treatment.

It's important to be cleared by your physicians prior to starting any exercise program. The physical therapist is trained to help establish a therapy that incorporates any and all indicated rehabilitation intervention, including home-based walking programs.

As an oncology physical therapist, I am well-trained to treat the many side effects of surgery, chemo, radiation, and hormonal therapies. I've seen first-hand the positive impact that a good physical therapy program can have.  When patients have been evaluated by their health care professionals and cleared for this kind of activity, it's heartening to observe happy side effects; things like decreased pain, increased function and endurance and an improved emotional state in people actively undergoing cancer treatments.

Photo attribution: Don DeBold