A More Efficient and Cost-Effective Form of Healthcare

Soft tissue injuries and musculoskeletal disorders are most effectively treated by a Physical Therapist. So why does it take so long to get patients to Physical Therapy to receive treatment? Most patients see multiple physicians and receive multiple other treatments before even receiving an order for Physical Therapy, but in the end they eventually are referred to P.T. because the other treatments are not fixing the source of the pain.

There is a better way!--Physical Therapy first (#PTfirst)! The military has seen the value in this concept, so if a current soldier in the US Army starts to have knee pain, he sees the Physical Therapist (P.T.) first. The P.T. does an assessment and decides if he needs Physical Therapy, imaging, medication, or a referral to a specialist. If he needs therapy and gets better with P.T., then no other referrals, treatments or MD visits are required. It was the most efficient and cost-effective form of healthcare because it was assessed first by the most appropriate medical professional.

Some large corporations have learned the value of Physical Therapy first for their employees and dependents. Michelin is a perfect example, and they are setting the standard for optimal healthcare for treatment of soft tissue injuries. Michelin contracts Physical Therapists to be on-site for prevention of work injuries and for rapid assessment and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. Healthcare costs are sliced by utilizing Physical Therapy first. Reach out to me at www.PainTalks.org to find out more!

What Your Toothbrush Tells You About Back Pain

Where do you store your toothbrush? Most of us store it right on the bathroom sink. Why do you store it there? Why don't you store it up on the top shelf or down in the bottom drawer? Your answer gives a simple example of BODY MECHANICS! You store your toothbrush within close reach to make life easier and more convenient. Why bend if you don't have to?

BODY MECHANICS is using your body to its advantage so that you don't have to work harder than necessary for whatever task you are doing. Here is another example. Ladies: why don't you carry your heavy purse by holding it with 1 or 2 fingers? You have naturally learned that the easiest way to carry a large handbag is strapped over your shoulder. 

We all practice good body mechanics with things like where we place our cups/plates/silverware in the kitchen, where we put our socks in our drawers and where we position our debit cards in our wallets. We want easy access to the objects that we use the most every day. So good body mechanics comes naturally...until we deal with our backs. We use our backs for things that our legs and arms should do, such as lifting and bending. Our leg muscles are massive and powerful and can do much heavier lifting than our back muscles. And our shoulder and arm muscles are very strong and able to lift, carry or hold significant amounts of weight.

So to prevent back pain, keep your back straight and use your legs more. Try squatting down using only your legs (maintaining a straight spine position) the next time you need to reach down toward the floor. Here is one easy way to demonstrate bad body mechanics: hold one arm straight out in front of you (with elbow straight) and place a dictionary or phone book in your hand. Time yourself to see how long you can keep it there.