Why You Need a Physical Therapist on Your Healthcare Team

With health in sharp focus as a result of the pandemic, now may be a good time to look at the team of experts you have in place and see if there are any improvements you could make. You probably have a family doctor, dentist, and optometrist. Maybe you have some specialist physicians, a trainer, or a massage therapist. If a physical therapist isn’t a part of your healthcare team, you’re missing out on taking care of a big part of your health. To understand why you need a physical therapist, you need to understand what they do here at Elite Physical Therapy in Stoughton and Foxboro, MA.

Physical Therapists Help You Do the Things You Enjoy
The American Physical Therapy Association defines PTs as “health care professionals who diagnose and treat individuals who have medical problems or other health-related conditions that limit their abilities to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives.” So physical therapists help you do things that you may be having trouble with. That could be playing sports, going for a run or a hike, playing with your kids, or getting through a day of work without pain.

Physical Therapists Reduce Pain
Chronic pain is a huge problem worldwide. A big part of that is low back pain. Statistically, around 80% of people will have low back pain in their lifetimes. Physical therapists are trained to treat pain without surgery or medications. If you have back pain, an arthritic knee, neck pain, or a nagging sports injury that won’t go away, a physical therapist at Elite Sports Performance & Physical Therapy may be able to help.

Physical Therapists Keep You Healthy
The APTA goes on to say that “PTs work with individuals to prevent the loss of mobility before it occurs by developing fitness- and wellness-oriented programs for healthier and more active lifestyles.” That means that a physical therapist can help you determine your risk for injury, choose the right fitness program, and improve the quality of your life by improving your health and ability to move.

Physical Therapists Can Improve Your Performance
By identifying mobility deficits or muscle imbalances and evaluating the overall quality of your movement, your physical therapist can help you improve how your body functions to make it more efficient, more powerful, and more resistant to injury. In this way, your physical therapist can work with you to develop a personalized program to work on any issues or deficits to help you improve your performance in a favorite sport or activity.

Physical therapists have a unique set of skills and expertise that can do a lot to improve your health and quality of life. If you don’t have one, consider adding one to your healthcare team. Here at Elite Physical Therapy in Stoughton and Foxboro, we have an expert team of experienced and knowledgeable physical therapists who can help you get you feeling better and back to doing the activities you enjoy! For more information, visit: https://www.elitefitcenter.com/physical-therapy/