On a daily basis, as a physical therapist, I am reminded why every body needs a PT! I realize that I’m a bit biased, but confidence in what our field can provide, keeps me loving my profession. Pretty much every day, I feel like shouting the following on the top of a mountain for the world to hear…
YOUR BODY CAN BE HURTING BECAUSE YOUR MUSCLES AND FASCIA ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY. No fancy test will prove this, but, IT CAN BE THE REASON YOU HURT! YOU CAN learn to fix and manage this. YOU CAN be in control of your pain! BUT, you MUST believe it and have patience to fix it!!
Our medical culture has been based on finding precise diagnoses with use of fancy tests. Although these gold standard tests are incredibly valuable for certain pathologies, they are NOT the ONLY thing that will explain your pain. We have specialists in just about every body region (cardiologists for our heart and circulatory system; Neurologists for our brain and nervous system and Orthopedists for our musculoskeletal system). We do not have an MD group that specializes in the proper FUNCTION of our soft tissues (muscles, ligaments and fascia).
Physical Therapists are Doctors
We DO have Doctors of Physical Therapy that do know this and know this very well. We have worked hard to earn our doctorate degrees which have helped us be even smarter to help you! We can specialize in body movement with an ability to recognize normal and dysfunctional movement. We are experts in recognizing soft tissue pathology and its impact on proper function. We have several proven ways to treat this. When our patient’s trust and believe in us, they understand how valuable this information is.
Expensive tests are not not always the answer. Your soft tissue can be to blame. It doesn’t even have to be torn or directly injured to be the problem. Muscular imbalance and/or myofascial pain is your diagnosis. NO medical doctor will be able to show you a test result for this problem.
To better explain myself, I like visuals. It may be helpful to think of your joint as a pulley system. Our knee is a classic example of this. Let’s say our leg is a teeter totter. Your knee is the center fulcrum, your thigh bone is one end and your lower leg is the other. Now let’s put a greater force on your upper leg (a tight hamstring muscle). This force pulls unevenly at your knee not allowing it to move (or teeter totter) smoothly. This abnormal pull will change how you move and overtime it will wear at your joint causing pain.
Now, your knee hurts and you are wondering what it is wrong with your knee. Your doctor will do an xray and it will look normal. He/she may even do an MRI and again that is normal. You are frustrated because it doesn’t make sense and you want an answer. You go to a PT. You learn that your hamstring is tight. You wonder what does that muscle that is above my knee have anything to do with my knee? Your intelligent PT will explain the body physics to you and attempt to convince you that your knee is actually fine. You’ll learn a stretch, some massage techniques & probably some core strengthening. If you are patient patient, you will learn that he/she was correct and you are now armed to recognize and self treat yourself the next time you start to feel that annoying knee pain.
We Teach YOU how to Help and Heal Yourself
You MUST learn to get in tune with your body, your habits, your posture and how YOU may be causing your own pain. This IS complex but really, very simple in the world of medicine. The best part is it is an all natural approach. No medications with side effects. No risky procedures. No expensive tests.
Contact a physical therapist in your area and let them teach YOU how to take care of your own body, naturally!
FYI…In most states, you can go to a PT directly without an MD referral.
Contact your local PT clinic and find out if they offer this for you!
I’d be happy to help too!
Dr. Liz