Physical Therapy: Its Common Misconceptions

Physical Therapy, as discussed in one of the previously posted articles, Physical Therapy and Its Wide Scopes, umbrellas a lot of things. When hearing the words Physical Therapy, people think of different things: some are right and some are not necessarily true.

Because of some misconceptions, some people do not think of Physical Therapy as an option. However, we must not stick to those misconceptions as if they’re actually proven.

Self- Healing Myth

Physical Therapy

Some people think that PT is actually just congruent to using ice or heat or even electric stimulation; that if they practiced that at home, they could just heal themselves. Physical Therapists do apply those, but these are applied together with other techniques that aim to stabilize and strengthen areas of weakness. These are things we don’t know about, for therapists have gone through a lot of trainings and education to apply the right technique to a certain problem. We should not settle for self-medication because we might perform the wrong things, which will then lead to complications in the future. You don’t want that.

Exclusive to Athletes

A very big misconception is PT is for athletes only. A lot of times, athletes will seek the help of Physical Therapists because of some injury, but they are not the only ones who can benefit from PT programs. Anyone who has experienced any injury or accidents can seek the help of therapists. You don’t have to be ashamed about your injury, which is not caused by extreme sports. You may have fallen from the stairs or fell while you were walking. That’s reason enough to seek a PT in Arizona, and don’t worry, he or she will not laugh at you. Getting you back to shape is a very serious matter to therapists.

PTs can Prescribe Medications

There are people who don’t quite see the PT’s credibility because they don’t prescribe oral medication. That is not the training of Physical Therapists. However, they are trained to work together with the medications given to their patients by their doctors.

Expect Pain in Every Visit

It MAY hurt, but that’s not always the case. Treatments will hurt in the process. However, that is really expected in the process. Treatments will hurt in the first few sessions, but remember that the Physical Therapists aim to ease your pain. Sooner or later, the pain will stop as your body’s response of the treatment progresses. 

The Doctor’s Referral 

Most people are inhibited to visit a therapist because they think that they need a doctor’s referral. You can actually seek the help of a therapist if you think you really need to for your musculoskeletal concerns. Anyway, the therapist can refer you to a doctor if he or she thinks that you need one. There are insurance companies, however, that require a doctor’s referral before you can visit a PT in Arizona.

You just have to make sure that the therapist is licensed by the state and, of course, his or her trainings and experiences should be extensive. The Physical Therapist plays a huge part of your recovery. You should not settle for the first one that you can find. And one more thing, do not be blinded by discounted rates. Family and friends, too, can give you recommendations. 

Get rid of those myths and be more aware. Physical Therapists are here to help everyone who needs them.