As a physical therapist I am exposed daily to people who are in pain. It is in those moments of pain that my patients feel inspired to share sage advice concerning life and it breaks my heart when, as if in a unified chorus, they all sing the same ballad to future generations, “I should have taken care of my body when I was your age.” Too often we treat our bodies as afterthoughts—only giving them attention when something goes wrong. What if we made taking care of our bodies an ongoing investment, rather than waiting until something breaks?
Every paycheck we put money away into a 401k or investment account with the idea that with a little sacrifice of money now we will be able to live the life we want too when we’re retired. Once again, too often people reach that day of retirement with a full bank account and a bankrupt body. A body that now lacks the capacity and capability of enjoying the retirement that they literally spent decades working towards. Your body is an asset and just like any financial investment, the earlier you begin investing in it, the greater the return in the future.
This principle of sacrificing a little bit today, so that we can reap the blessings later, is found all throughout our health care system. Every six months we go to the dentist with the sole intention of preventative care. We take the time to get a small tune up before a much bigger problem arises. We go to the doctor’s office for yearly checkups to ensure that everything is functioning at optimal capacity and if anything shows up, it is taken care of before something bigger comes down the road. Are you seeing the pattern here? So, if we do all of this work to protect the asset of our teeth and our bodies, why would we neglect preventative care on one of our most valuable assets, movement? We are not sedentary beings. Our bodies were made to move, and movement is essential in our ability to thrive. Movement is likewise one of the easiest things to take for granted until it’s no longer available.
This is where physical therapy can come into the equation. Specifically, at Core Physical Therapy we offer whole health appointments that focus on evaluating your entire body and how it moves. You may not even be in pain currently, but that is okay. In fact, that’s the whole point of the appointment. We look for any and all deviations from normal and provide you with the treatment and tools to empower you to be in charge of your movement and ultimately keep pain away. I realize this goes against most people’s view of physical therapy. If I’m not in pain, there’s nothing wrong with my body, right?
Respectfully, the answer is no. To hit home on this point, let’s think about a pilot who sets a course that is only one small degree off the intended path. It may not appear to veer off track at first, however over the long distance of the flight, the compilation of one degree off course over thousands of miles could lead to an error of many miles from your intended destination. As physical therapists we are trained to know how a body should move and detect even the most minute deviations from normal. One percent off from normal may not seem like a big deal now, but we have to think about how such a small difference can affect you over years and decades of living.
Our bodies are adaptive. In fact, our bodies are master compensators. Your body will hold you together as long as it possibly can, but eventually we run out of runway and the body can’t compensate any further. Those are the times when pain signals are
turned on in the brain. All this to be said, there is power in preventative care for human movement and here at Core Physical Therapy we offer that exact care. Just as our teeth require regular brushing, flossing, and occasional professional care, our muscles, joints, and overall movement patterns need attention too. Regular physical therapy check-ins or body maintenance can prevent many injuries, enhance performance, and improve quality of life. A little work now can save you a lot of discomfort, frustration, and potentially even surgery in the future.
So, why wait? Treat your body as you would any other important investment. Give it the care and attention it deserves now, and you’ll reap the rewards for many years to come. Your future self will thank you for it. To have your specific needs evaluated and create a customized plan for YOU, schedule an appointment here with David.