Home on the Range of Motion: It's National Physical Therapy Month

People often first learn about physical therapists from their doctors after they have experienced an injury such as a bone fracture, or after a surgical procedure--say after a rotator cuff repair--that dampens their ability to function like they used to. They help people by restoring mobility, improving function, reducing pain, and preventing disabilities. They can manipulate your body to perform better through therapeutic bone and joint manipulation, introduce you to assisted devices that help you adapt, and offer up self-help activities to do at home

But did you also know that they can provide preventive care?

In observance of National Physical Therapy Month Healthline would like you to know that you can learn a lot from your physical therapist about keeping healthy, fit and pain free.

The American Physical Therapy Association offers preventive exercises for “blackberry thumb,” a painful repetitive strain condition experienced by over-enthusiastic, hand-held users that causes hand swelling, throbbing and tendonitis.

And you can also reduce bicycling-related pain such as anterior front knee pain, neck pain, and back pain through proper bike fit and exercises to help both the occasional weekend cyclist and road warriors.

Who knew?

Tags: Physical Therapy, Cycling, Blackberry Thumb, Repetitive Stress Injury, Healthline, American Physical Therapy Association