Physical therapy is classified as an essential service, which means we at Spooner Physical Therapy are here to serve you!
But what is it about physical and hand therapy that makes it so needed, especially during the current global health pandemic? Does it make sense that we are still available and serving the community, even with all the shutdowns and social distancing protocols?
It does! “There are a lot of individuals who really need us right now, and we want to be able to serve them. There are long-term health effects for not coming into PT, and individuals and groups we serve right now who really can’t hold off and shouldn’t,” says Michelle Babcock, PT, MSPT, OCS, and Chief Experience Officer here at Spooner Physical Therapy.
Here are our top four reasons we believe physical therapy matters now more than ever.
Physical therapy keeps our essential workers healthy and on-the-job.
Those individuals who are out in the community serving all our basic needs often need a physical therapist who can serve them and keep them healthy and able to perform their jobs.
Consider those essential workers who are serving in heavy labor jobs, on their feet all day at the grocery store, or loading and unloading the goods that we require for our day-to-day. Let’s not forget our healthcare workers and first responders.
“Our healthcare workers are working to the bone right now, and if they have knee pain or back pain or neck pain, and have to work through that, with the overtime hours and really busy, grueling shifts, we want to be able to help them. We want to be sure that they are physically prepared and able to work,” Michelle says.
Anyone who places physical demands on their body to make a living—nearly half the entire workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics—needs the ability to seek physical therapy when they have an injury or body breakdown.
Physical theray helps post-op patients recover properly.
Those individuals who had surgery—such as a full knee, hip, or shoulder replacement—just before the pandemic face tough, long-term poor health effects if they aren’t able to come into physical therapy at their prescribed time. In fact, not having access to physical therapy at this crucial time could lead to a need for more invasive medical procedures down the road.
Physical therapy is a must to help these individuals achieve a complete and full recovery. We help restore healthy movement, function, and flexibility by training and strengthening the muscles and joints, and minimizing painful swelling and scar tissue. Physical therapy also helps speed recovery time.
Plus, many individuals need the assistance of a therapist to help rebuild their abilities to care for themselves after surgery. The function to do simple activities we often take for granted (things like stepping out of the shower, or picking up and carrying a bag of groceries) doesn’t magically come back on its own after surgery. Physical therapy puts all those functional pieces back together.
Physical therapy minimizes the burden on hospitals and urgent care centers.
Physical therapy plays a key role in the context of the healthcare system as a whole. “We keep patients who don’t have critical needs out of hospitals,” Michelle says. This is especially vital during a health crisis, when every single hospital bed, piece of equipment, medical professional, and other resource must be dedicated to patients whose lives are at risk or who are otherwise very sick.
If you injure a joint or muscle during the pandemic—let’s say you’re doing some yard work and hurt your back—physical therapy is a better start to your healing process than is going to the ER or urgent care.
Why? “For one thing, you’re less likely to be exposed to the coronavirus in the ER than you are in our clinic,” Michelle says. For another, PT’s place as musculoskeletal specialists within the wider healthcare system means we have the exact expertise to get you moving healthily again. And by coming into our clinic, you can find relief without the risk in an already taxed hospital or urgent care environment.
Physical therapy keeps everyone healthy and moving.
It’s important to remember that everyone’s essential need, especially when it comes to health and well-being, is different and unique.
Here at Spooner, we treat women who are in the throes of a battle with breast cancer; brand-new moms trying to cope with post-delivery complications; and individuals whose chronic conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, severely limit their mobility.
In each of these cases and more, individuals need the care and relief that physical therapy provides, even in the midst of the wider health crisis.
Let us help you.
Ready to feel better? Now is the time! Our clinics are open and our therapists are on-hand to help you move and heal, plus our newly launched telehealth program is the perfect way to get treatment if you aren’t able to visit a clinic. Learn more about how we’re ready to help during COVID-19.
Contact us for a complimentary movement assessment today, and we’ll get you on the right path.