Stop looking for the “fix” in health and fitness
Is physical therapy focused on long-term health or short-term “fixes?”
Short-term treatments (manual therapy) may help us achieve long-term goals but they are not required. Many exercises fall into low-value treatment as well: cookie-cutter exercise programs, low-intensity exercise (that is not targeting fear and anxiety), and postural exercise.
Pain scores and functional outcome measures help with determining treatment efficacy in trials and objectifying treatment results for insurers, but they often do not translate to the patient’s goals. Instead of focusing on these measures to determine if we are successful with treatment, let’s look at the patient’s participation in activities meaningful to them.
I would rather someone play tennis with tolerable levels of pain than avoid activity, worried they don’t move properly or are at risk of damage and needing surgery.
Our area of focus in the clinic messages to the patient what is important. If we emphasize reducing pain and moving “perfectly,” how do you think the patient is going to act when they feel pain outside the clinic?
Let’s help patients move more and focus on the long-term results.