Most of us go to the doctor yearly to get a check-up even if we're feeling fine, just to make sure everything is working right and all our numbers are good. Most of us to the the dentist at least once a year for a check-up to make sure our teeth are healthy and to take care of any problems that may have arisen since the last visit. Most people go to see a physical therapist because they "have to". They have reached a point where the pain is too much or they have to rehab from a surgery and physical therapy is viewed as a painful, torturous event. Seeing a physical therapist is not on the list of yearly check-ups for most people. Yet, a growing body of medical research and a larger number of the public are realizing the benefits of having a regular physical therapy check-up.
Physical therapists often work with people who are healing from an injury to help them restore proper movement patterns in their body to return to normal function and avoid further injuries. PT's do this by evaluating different movements and activities of an individual to identify which areas of the body may by overworking or underworking. Once these are identified the therapist will teach correct movement patterns and specific exercises that will strengthen weak, underused muscles, stretch tight muscles, work on improving mobility and postures to restore optimal physical function.
Preventive physical therapy check-ups often reveal an underlying dysfunctional movement pattern, often caused by weakness, tightness, lack of normal range of motion, or some combination of all of these variables. These dysfunctional movement patterns are generally termed, substitution patterns, and typically lead to pain and limited function that causes people to eventually seek out a physical therapist. Once these movement patterns are identified, they can often be corrected with proper treatments.
The way a person moves from sitting to standing, goes up and down stairs, their sitting posture, their standing posture, and their gait all have correct general movement patterns that should occur. Any deviation from these patterns, either from an injury or even if you don't know you're doing it, leads to substitution movement patterns that eventually will lead to pain, dysfunction, or further injury.
All of us at some time have hurt our back, twisted an ankle or knee, or have had a sore shoulder. Often these conditions appear to get better with time and maybe some medication; and, to a large degree they do. But the subtle adaptations that many people acquire after an injury often leads to substitution movement patterns that over time predisposes them to further injury. We may find a different way to sit or stand so that our back doesn't hurt, we may find a different way to walk so our ankle or knee feels better, or we may compensate with another part of our body (the neck of the back) so our shoulder isn't sore anymore. These substitution movements cause other joints or muscles in our body to do things they are not intended to do, and over a period of time this will lead to more pain and injuries.
Awareness and understanding of postures and overall body movements as we function during the day plays a significant positive role in the prevention of injuries and allowing people to perform and feel their best. Having the proper strength, flexibility, mobility, and stability throughout our bodies allows us to perform our activities with less pain and lower risk of injury. A properly trained physical therapist can give you a movement check-up to identify areas in your body that may be substituting or compensating that may potentially be leading to further problems or injuries. It may just save you a visit to the doctor for your sore back, or a lost ski season from an injured knee. Getting a regular physical therapy check-up is good preventive medicine and I promise, won't be pain and torture.
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