In this era of wellness, you might engage with multiple health professionals鈥攆rom your primary care physician and dermatologist to your therapist and dietitian鈥攖o take care of all aspects of your body. That may soon include a physical therapist.
鈥淚 know a number of clinics that are trying to implement an annual visit to a physical therapist鈥攕imilar to how you would see your primary physician for a yearly physical,鈥 says , a professor of physical therapy at California State University, Northridge.
What Is Preventive Physical Therapy?
Typically, you go to physical therapy because you鈥檙e trying to recover from an injury. But at a preventive physical therapy check-up, you can expect to take similar tests of strength, flexibility, balance, and gait. The results of these assessments determine where you could be prone to injury when walking, running, playing sports, or even just performing daily chores, Flores says.
In the same way that tests at your annual physical might indicate high blood pressure or an irregular heart rate, the results of these evaluations can do the same. 鈥淔or instance, , cognitive decline, fall risk, and even mortality,鈥 Flores says. Once you identify these problem areas, your physical therapist can develop an action plan.
However, that doesn鈥檛 mean your calendar is about to be full of ongoing sessions. According to , a physical therapist for , preventive physical therapy isn’t meant to be perpetual.
鈥淲e don’t want clients to be coming to physical therapy forever, especially if they don鈥檛 have an injury,鈥 MacMillen Sitagata says. 鈥淲e do, however, want to have them coming in for checkups鈥攐r to get the groundwork that they need to properly do their exercises and go on from there.鈥
How Much Does Preventive Physical Therapy Cost?
Unfortunately, there鈥檚 no industry standard for how much you can expect to pay for preventive physical therapy. A single appointment could run you between $150 and $350, MacMillen Sitagata says. However, your insurance may cover these sessions鈥攅specially if you have a referral from your primary care physician.
If that sounds steep, consider the costs of injury, particularly if you鈥檙e a competitive athlete. 鈥淓ven though insurance does not cover it all the time, preventive physical therapy could save you so much money,鈥 MacMillen Sitagata says. 鈥淓ven if you did 12 sessions and paid more than $1,000, that’s still going to be less than if you had one surgery for a preventable injury.鈥
Do I Still Need Preventive Physical Therapy If I鈥檓 Cross-Training?
Sure, you may be dedicated to your cross-training regimen鈥攂ut that won鈥檛 protect you from injury in the same way preventive physical therapy might.
鈥淲hen I鈥檓 doing a physical therapy assessment, I’m not only looking at one part of the body,鈥 says Angelica Alberto, a physical therapist. 鈥淚’m looking at how the rest of the body may potentially be influencing whatever ache or pain the patient is coming in with.鈥 For instance, Alberto adds, if a client is experiencing knee pain, she鈥檒l conduct tests to see what the source of the discomfort is.
Those are the types of questions that cross-training can鈥檛 answer. While this smart workout methodology can help you avoid overstressing the body with the same repetitive movements, it doesn鈥檛 address specific injury-prone areas, Flores says.
For the best odds of decreasing your risk of injury, combine your yoga and strength training efforts with some preventive physical therapy. Trust us: your body will thank you in the long run.