Contributed by Rhonda Kurtz, PT, DPT, CWS, Acute PT Supervisor for Galveston Hospitals
October is Physical Therapy Month. It is a time for celebrating physical therapy as a profession as well as the physical therapists that change the lives of many individuals for the better.
Physical therapy dates to ancient Greece when Hippocrates and Galenus recommended massage and manual therapy techniques for physical healing and stress relief. In the early 20th century, the profession was significantly influenced by both the polio epidemic and World War II as therapists worked side by side with physicians helping patients recover.
Today physical therapy is a skilled, research-supported “form of healthcare that prevents, identifies, corrects, or alleviates acute or prolonged movement dysfunction or pain of anatomic or physiologic origin (PT Practice Act).”
We have all likely encountered physical therapy in some shape or form. It’s the athlete picking up marbles with his toes after foot surgery. It’s the senator learning to walk again after suffering a gunshot wound to the head. It’s the child learning to achieve their milestones. It’s the burn patient learning to move again through their pain. It’s the stroke patient learning how to merely sit up on their own. It’s a patient recovering from a prolonged hospital stay due to COVID-19. It could be your family, friend, child, or neighbor. Or it could be you.
Skilled physical therapists continue to work side by side with physicians to provide solutions for these patient groups; improving function for patients negatively impacted by disease and injury. The profession has grown and become very diverse, including specializations in sports medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, wound care, orthopedics, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, and neurological rehabilitation, pelvic health just to name a few. Although practice areas vary, the goal is always the same: Identify patient needs and maximize movement potential and quality of life.
Whether helping patients to recover from the effects of an accident-related injury, stroke, debilitating diseases or simply helping the “weekend warrior” to recover from aches and pains due to muscle tightness or improper body mechanics, physical therapists are a vital part of the healthcare team as they use their wealth of knowledge, education, and compassion to help patients get their lives back in motion. They help YOU stay in motion.