For the month of October, to celebrate National Physical Therapy Month we will highlight the aspects of Physical Therapist that may not be well known. The slogan for the month is “Age Well”.
The Study:
Our first study comes from the academic journal Spine and examined the effectiveness of a PT consult prior to low back surgery. A group of individuals who were all undergoing surgery to the lumbar spine were split into two groups: one group underwent the standard pre-op care, while the second group met with a Physical Therapist who discussed the neuroscience behind pain.
The Results:
All subjects were followed one year after surgery. “The group who received a single, educational session from a physical therapist, viewed their surgical experience much more favorably, and utilized 45% less health care expenditure following surgery.”1
Take Away:
Physical Therapists are experts in movement and developing a plan of care to help you manage and understand your body and its pain. Recent evidence shows that as little as one pre-operative session with a PT can improve surgical outcomes and quality of life. In some cases PT pre-operatively can even delay or diminish the need for surgery.
