If you’re like many people, you probably think of physical therapy as a treatment after you suffer an injury. While physical therapy currently plays a large role in injury recovery, the future of physical therapy lies in injury prevention.
Injury prevention therapy is the process of strengthening the muscles and bones, correcting harmful movement patterns, and improving endurance to avoid common injuries. Exchange Physical Therapy Group offers a comprehensive injury prevention program that targets your weak points and maladaptive movements.
With the help of our injury rehabilitation clinic in Jersey City, you can prevent the pain, discomfort, limitations, and expenses that come with common injuries. Contact Exchange Physical Therapy Group today to learn more.
What will Physical Therapy look like 10-20 years from now?
The field of medicine is continually evolving, particularly in the realm of aging research and health and wellness. Recent discoveries highlight that exercise plays a more crucial role than dieting in preventing chronic conditions such as Alzheimer’s and heart disease.
Physical therapists are experts in musculoskeletal health and human movement, and should be considered primary care providers. They can help you maintain, restore, and improve your movement and overall health. In the next 10-20 years, the focus of physical therapy is expected to shift from treating injuries to preventing them, addressing issues like muscle breakdown, degeneration, and bone loss before they occur.
In reality, injury prevention isn’t just about avoiding accidents. It’s also about preparing your body to bounce back from accidents when they do happen. With our personalized injury prevention & wellness services, you can strengthen your joints, muscles, ligaments, and bones so that when a fall or mishap occurs, it won’t cause a fracture, sprain, or strain.
What Does Injury Prevention & Wellness Entail?
At Exchange Physical Therapy Group, we tailor our injury prevention treatments to each patient. Our physical therapists will begin by conducting a full-body assessment, which may include X-rays and other diagnostic tests. This will help us determine your strength, flexibility, and movements and identify areas we can strengthen and support through therapy.
We will also ask you about your daily life and activities. Are you an athlete? If so, what sports do you play, and how do you train for them? Do you have a labor-intensive job? These questions can help us predict the injuries you may be at risk for.
After gaining a full picture of your health and lifestyle, we will create an injury prevention plan that may include any of the following therapies:
- Manual therapy to improve flexibility and range of motion
- Strength training to strengthen specific muscle groups
- Stretches to loosen tight ligaments and prevent muscle soreness
- Movement training to correct any movements that put you at risk of injury
We may also provide a list of exercises you can complete at home between appointments and guidance on nutrition, hydration, and sleep to promote injury prevention.
How Does Injury Prevention & Wellness Therapy Help You?
While the main benefit of injury prevention is preventing common injuries, the advantages of this therapy also encompass the following:
- Boosting strength and flexibility: Stronger muscles lead to less chronic pain, easier movements, and slower muscle breakdown and degeneration.
- Preventing other conditions: Research shows that exercise is the number-one factor in preventing Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
- Improve athletic performance: Whether you’re a runner, a basketball player, or simply someone who enjoys regular physical activity, injury prevention therapies will target the muscles you need for your sport.
- Reduce pain: Harmful movement patterns that put you at risk of injury, such as improper stride length or hip extensions, may also cause ongoing pain. Correcting these issues could be the key to eliminating chronic pain.
Why is Ongoing Physical Therapy Vital for Health and Longevity?
Whether you’re at an elevated risk of injury or not, a physical therapist should be one of your primary healthcare providers. The need for physical therapy has increased in recent years due to two main factors:
- Sedentary lifestyles: More and more individuals have begun leading sedentary lifestyles as the demand for office workers grows and hobbies like watching TV, browsing social media, and playing video games remain popular. Office workers and those with similar levels of activity are prone to overuse injuries, and many can agree that their physical fitness isn’t at its prime.
- Aging population: Baby Boomers, the second largest generation, are getting older. Aging presents many health risks, increasing the demand for physical therapy among a large portion of the population.
No matter your age or lifestyle, without consistent, ongoing help from a licensed physical therapist, you risk injuries, functional decline, and limitations to your desired activities. Staying on a consistent physical therapy schedule is vital for longevity and health.
Contact Exchange Physical Therapy Group for Injury Prevention & Wellness Services
Are you ready to learn more about our injury prevention exercise programs? Contact Exchange Physical Therapy Group today at 201-721-6130 or fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment.
