The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has declared October as “National Physical Therapy Month.” “Mobility is the key ingredient to aging successfully and remaining active and independent throughout our lives,” said R Scott Ward, PT, PhD, President of the APTA. “I think most will agree that is a universal goal as we grow older,” he said.
Dr. Ward explained that National Physical Therapy Month is a time to highlight the important role that physical therapy can play in improving and restoring motion to your life, which he said, “can improve your quality of life, helping you to keep healthy, fit, and active and avoid surgery and long-term use of prescription medications, in many cases.”
The special focus of National Physical Therapy Month this year is preventing sports injury across the lifespan. On its website for National Physical Therapy Month, MoveForwardPT.com, the APTA provides in-depth consumer information guides, instructional videos with information about physical therapy for several different health conditions (see below), “Ask a PT,” and “Find a PT” resources, which highlight “the many ways in which physical therapists can help improve your quality of life and [help you] to find a physical therapist near you.”
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is a non-profit professional membership organization representing more than 77,000 member physical therapists (PTs), physical therapist assistants (PTAs), and students of physical therapy. The APTA’s stated mission is “to improve the health and quality of life of individuals in society by advancing physical therapist practice, education, and research, and by increasing the awareness and understanding of physical therapy’s role in the nation’s health care system.”
In his message for National Physical Therapy Month, Dr. Ward, the APTA President, states:
* Provide an alternative to painful and expensive surgery, in many cases;
* Manage or eliminate pain without medication and its side effects, in many cases.
When it comes to health care, one size does not fit all. A physical therapist’s extensive education, clinical expertise, and “hands on” approach brings you a unique, individualized approach. When you are in the hands of a physical therapist, you have a plan of care that is safe and appropriate and addresses your individual needs and pre-existing conditions.”
Physical Therapy and Aging
View this Video from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), in which Physical Therapist Shannon Brady, PT, DPT, explains how older adults can work with a physical therapist to improve their balance and prevent falls »
More Information
On their website, MoveForwardPT.com, the American Physical Therapy Association provides a Video Library, with instructional videos on the role of physical therapy in treating many different health conditions.
See also the HelpingYouCare™ resource pages on Wellness/ Healthy Living for Seniors & Caregivers, including:
- Exercise: Physical Wellness;
- Diet & Nutrition: Physical Wellness;
- Sleep, Hygiene, Quit Smoking & Other Healthy Practices: Physical Wellness; and
- Other Areas of Wellness.
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