By Dr. Leonard J. Somarriba
For people who are sick, going to the doctor and getting a diagnosis is common sense. But who do you see for diagnosis if you’ve got a movement “illness”? If your knee hurts when you go hiking, you can’t get on and off the floor to play with your kids, or you can’t lift things to do your job, who do you see?
Physical therapists are experts in human movement with doctoral level training and should be your first stop for movement issues. After a comprehensive evaluation, a physical therapist will give you a movement diagnosis. Like a medical diagnosis, your movement diagnosis will describe what’s causing your difficulty with movement. Some examples would be difficulty squatting because of poor force production, muscular imbalance, or poor flexibility.
Human movement is complex and influenced by many factors, including the pulmonary, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, integumentary and musculoskeletal systems. Because of the complexity of the movement system, getting the diagnosis right can be difficult. Physical therapists have extensive training and expertise in human movement and should be your go-to practitioner for movement issues. Getting an accurate diagnosis is important because it sets the roadmap for treatment.
Once your movement “illness” is correctly diagnosed, your physical therapist can design the correct treatment plan for your issues. Before you know it, you’ll be back to work or play and moving as well as if not better than before.
ProFysio Physical Therapy has been helping patients maximize their pain free movement and return to the activities they love since 2013. ProFysio’s unique and unwavering commitment to clinical excellence and unmatched customer service has bolstered the company’s reputation as the premier provider for outpatient physical therapy services in Monmouth and Middlesex counties. If you feel like your movement is limited for any reason call ProFysio today to schedule a thorough evaluation and start getting back to the things you love.