This is a special time of year for those of us in physical therapy. National Physical Therapy Month was established by the American Physical Therapy Association each October to recognize the impact and raise awareness of the valuable role we play in helping people decrease their pain, improve their mobility and return to function.

It is a great opportunity to discuss the ways we help prevent needless surgeries, dangerous pharmaceuticals and other unnecessary — and expensive — medical procedures. Because we work exclusively with injured workers in our company, we constantly see the important role we play in the workers’ compensation system.

PT Benefits

Whether it is back or knee pain, shoulder issues, or sprains, strains and tears, physical therapy is not only a viable solution, but often the only solution needed. Today, all physical therapists must graduate with a clinical doctorate degree from an accredited physical therapy program. We are also required to complete a state licensure exam. We are experts in movement and specialize in musculoskeletal injuries. 

We apply research and proven techniques to help patients, and can do this in a variety of settings. In our work with injured workers, we provide PT at the job site, in their home, or in  a clinic, depending on their needs and those of their employer. Wherever the PT occurs, we manage the claim through the entire process.

These are just a few of the ways we help injured workers.

• Improve movement. Living and working free of pain is the goal of what we do for our patients. We help injured workers move in ways that are most effective to complete the task while protecting the body. We identify, diagnose and treat movement problems.
•  Help with recovery. We work closely with the injured workers we treat and their employers to make sure our treatment plans are the best for all concerned. Where possible, we provide the PT at the employee’s actual worksite. This is the most effective and quickest way to help injured workers get back to function and work and prevent recurring injuries. We often see injured workers who experience the same symptoms multiple times. By working one-on-one with injured workers, especially at the job site, we can see the specific tasks they do each day and show them better ways to move to prevent pain and injuries.
•  Avoid opioids. While opioids may be appropriate for some injured workers with acute injuries or post-surgery, long term opioid therapy is not recommended. In addition to the risks of overdose and addiction, there are a host of side effects, such as depression, insomnia, constipation and other conditions. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance on opioid prescribing recommends physical therapy and other treatments to avoid the use of opioids whenever possible.
•  Avoid surgery. Many injuries can be healed with time and physical therapy. Unfortunately, we see many injured workers who are advised to undergo surgeries early in the process. These are often unnecessary. PT can be extremely effective and avoid the need for surgery for injured workers with a variety of conditions, such as: meniscal tears and knee osteoarthritis, rotator cuff tears, spinal stenosis, and degenerative disk disease.

How PT Helps

A couple of examples of typical injuries we see demonstrate how PT can be as, or more effective than more invasive procedures.

• Knee problems. Meniscal tears and moderate knee osteoarthritis can generally be aided with PT. However, many injured workers are advised to undergo surgery. But research suggests this is unnecessary. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found no significant difference in patients who received surgery and those who had just PT. That might be true for other knee problems as well. The codirector of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center was quoted in Men’s Journal as saying PT might be equally effective for cartilage tears, medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries, and injuries to the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), a ligament within the knee. 
•  Rotator cuff tears. Research published in the Bone and Joint Journal found that patients who received PT for non-traumatic rotator cuff tears had similar rates of physical improvement and satisfaction compared to those who underwent arthroscopic surgery or open surgical repair combined with PT.

Conclusion

Reduced pain and increased function are what we, as physical therapists strive to do for our patients. Working one-on-one with injured workers at the location best suited to their needs allows us the opportunity to achieve these goals and get employees back on the job as quickly as possible.