October is Physical Therapy Month

Thousands of people decline the option of physical therapy because their insurance won't cover it or in rare cases, weren’t offered physical therapy to begin with. If you or a recovering loved one find yourself in need of physical therapy but have no idea how to get started, check into one of these communities. Fundraisers, events, and helpful guides can be found here. In some clinics a prescription from a local physician is required to arrange physical therapy, but there are just as many clinics that don’t require it as well. A good way to start is by checking local clinics and confirming their requirements before picking a physical therapist that’s right for you. Refer to a helpful guide when attending the first appointment for physical therapy, it gives a look on what to expect.

There are other ways to dive into physical therapy at home. Of course there’s the basic stretches and exercises that can be done anywhere, but physical therapy can be a creative and fun activity as well.

Rock Steady is a fun and innovative way for those with Parkinson’s Disease to gather as a community and receive physical therapies through boxing classes. It’s a great way to bring a community together while providing a fun and active environment for the community.

While sports aren’t exactly regular types of therapies, they can be very helpful in rebuilding strength and muscle. Depending on the therapy needed, something as relaxing as golf can even make a significant difference. Other therapies include yoga, meditation and specific stretches. Certain clinics provide community therapies to keep everyone together, making the environment a fun space.

During National Physical Therapy Month in October, the American Physical Therapy Association encourages everyone to learn about the many benefits of physical therapy. Whether it’s joining the community, raising awareness, or attending fundraisers, that’s the day for clients and therapists to join together. However, after the appointments and fundraisers, it’s also important to maintain your therapy at home.

A great way to do that is by utilizing home-friendly items like the ones shown below.

• Medi-Beads Joint Wrap - Used for knees, elbows and ankles, this joint wrap can be used for hot or cold therapy and is easily stretchable without losing its form. Great for therapy sessions that leave joints aching.
• Active Hands General Purpose Gripping Aid - Left and right gloves are purchased separately, a gripping aid made for weak or unstable hands that do not have a decent grip. Simply wearing this while doing mundane tasks can also help improvement in strength.
• Hand Clip Vegetable Peeler is a lightweight, easy to use peeler that does not require gripping for peeling vegetables.

Other ways for DIY therapy is to adapt at home while recovering. For damaged hands, tools such as a hand clip fork or spoon can be helpful as they offer a no-grip mechanism in the handles. Perfect for those recovering from hand surgeries or arthritis.

Outside of maintaining good therapy routines, there’s no other way to speed up recovery through physical therapy. It is one of the most successful ways of treatment, especially over the other option which would be treatment through opioids. To minimize this kind of treatment, the community needs to stick together to bring awareness to patients in need of physical therapy. Some people might even need therapy for the rest of their lives, but it beats taking a prescription for the rest of your life. It’s healthier and it brings others in similar situations together.

Celebrate and raise awareness to PT during the month of October, participate in events, fundraisers, or even just clean up community parks to become an active member in the community.

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