By Jerry Moczerniuk
PT, DPT
October is National Physical Therapy Month (NPTM). This year’s slogan, “Transform society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience”, really emphasizes what our profession’s goals are towards our patients. Recognizing this year’s NPTM, I wanted to explain what Physical Therapy is and how it can impact and improve anyone’s life.
Physical Therapists are graduate trained, state licensed health care practitioners. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) defines Physical Therapists as trusted health care professionals with extensive clinical experience who examine, diagnose and then prevent or treat conditions that limit the body’s ability to move and function in daily life.
This year’s APTA campaign, #ChoosePT, has been established to educate the consumer on the benefits of Physical Therapy. It focuses primarily on four benefits of the practice.
Physical Therapists can maximize your movement. As experts in mobility and musculoskeletal conditions, Physical Therapists work on restoring pain-free or reduced pain mobility, which is crucial to a better quality of life, earning a living and improving independence.
Physical therapists empower their patients and clients to be active participants in their recovery. Through extensive education of the clients regarding their ailments or conditions, and collaborative work with those clients, treatment plans are individualized and specific towards each person’s individual goals, challenges and needs.
Physical Therapy should be used to avoid opiods. In 2015, there were 20,101 overdose deaths attributed to prescription pain killers. Federal and state governments have really focused on the very dangerous opioid use epidemic affecting our communities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging health care providers to reduce the use of opioids in favor of safe alternatives, like physical therapy, for most long-term pain.
Earlier this year in New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie signed legislation aimed to curb the state’s opioid addiction epidemic. This bill limits initial opioid prescriptions to a five day supply. Furthermore, the bill provides guidelines to the physicians on how to manage patients with chronic pain. Those guidelines include referrals to alternative health care professions, such as Physical Therapy, in order to reduce dependence on prescription pain killers.
Physical Therapy should also be considered first before undergoing expensive or invasive surgery. Numerous research studies have concluded that for some conditions, including meniscal tears and knee osteoarthritis, rotator cuff tears, spinal stenosis and degenerative disk disease, treatment by a physical therapist has been found to be as effective as surgery.
The scope of a Physical Therapist practice allows Physical Therapists in NJ to see patients without a referral, examine them thoroughly, diagnose musculoskeletal and balance dysfunction, and develop a plan of care (treatment) to improve function, decrease pain, regain mobility, and most importantly, improve the patients quality of life. These services are typically covered by health insurance, even without a prescription for Physical Therapy.
Dr. Moczerniuk is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, member of American Physical Therapy Association, and a Clinical Director at db Orthopedic Physical Therapy of Manalapan, located at 120 Craig Road, Suite 2. Dr. Moczerniuk can be reached at 732-462-2162 or via e-mail at [email protected]. You can also find out more about our practice at dborthopt.com

