It’s the most wonderful time of the year

By Ryan Malm – CC’s Staff

October is National Physical Therapy Month!

Falling leaves, pumpkin spice everything, and the Vikings still have a winning record. It must be October. October has a special meaning for all of us here at CC’s Physical Therapy – it’s National Physical Therapy Month! This is the month when we as physical therapists are recognized for our contributions to healthcare and our patients’ quality of life. Could there be a better month to educate all of you awesome readers about the physical therapy profession? I submit there is not. Who knows, you might even learn something today (even you, Packer fans).

DID YOU KNOW:

• The state of North Dakota has “Direct Access”, which means the most unrestricted access a patient can have to a physical therapist. In other words, you don’t need to see your primary care doctor for a referral to come see us. You can just walk through the door! We are only one of eighteen states in the nation offering that kind of access to physical therapy.
• Not all physical therapists practice in hospitals. In fact, more than 80% practice in:
  • Outpatient clinics, inpatient rehab facilities, skilled nursing facilities, education or research centers, schools, industrial or occupational environments, fitness and sports training facilities (via APTA)
• Physical therapists are highly educated. PTs must receive a graduate degree from an accredited program before taking the national licensure exam that allows them to practice. For most, that’s seven years of college! Physical therapists have the most specialized education to diagnose and manage individuals of all ages with neuromusculoskeletal problems or other health-related conditions that limit their abilities to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives.
• Physical therapists treat a wide variety of conditions. Trust me, we have seen absolutely everything! There are many individuals that have seen a physical therapist for common reasons such as low back pain, knee pain, etc.; however, there are many different conditions that PTs may treat that you may not be aware of such as headaches, tempomandibular joint dysfunction (jaw pain), and urinary incontinence just to name a few.

If I’ve lost you, go grab that triple venti soy no foam pumpkin spice latte with extra whip, and listen up!

I know what you’re thinking… I hurt my knee once and the physical therapist just gave me some exercises to do and sent me home. While a home exercise program is vital to patient recovery, you might be surprised to know how many different interventions and treatment techniques we offer here. Functional dry needling, scraping, kinesiotaping, cupping, joint mobilization/manipulation…and I’m just scraping the surface, pun intended. We will examine each individual and develop a plan of care using treatment techniques to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability. We also work with individuals to prevent the loss of mobility by developing fitness- and wellness-oriented programs for healthier and more active lifestyles.

If you have been dealing with that nagging injury for a day, a month, or a year, we want to see you and help you remember what it is to live pain-free. Trust me, even you Packer fans will be glad you did!