A physical therapy movement expert can help get rid of your pain and address your areas of concern.
Why are physical therapists movement experts? Because we are taught to analyze how you move! Down to the nitty gritty. And why exactly is this important? Because physical therapists can assess your specific pain complaints, determine where your pain may be coming from, explain why the pain is occurring, and teach how to fix the pain! Physical therapists know how to look for the movement dysfunction.
So how can you take this information and apply it to yourself? Follow these 5 simple tips to reduce pain, improve your movement, and overall, feel better!
**This is not medical advice. Please consult your medical provider for more information.
1. Assess
This is about taking mental notes. How are you feeling? Which areas feel stiff? Are there areas of the body that are painful? Is the pain constant or intermittent? Does it hurt while at rest or only with movement?
These are all common questions you may be asked by a physical therapist while going through an evaluation, but they are also great information points for you to be aware of to help explain and understand your pain. Knowledge is power. If you know what may be causing the pain, sometimes the treatment becomes a little easier to manage.
2. Look for Patterns
It is important to look for patterns to establish what may be leading to dysfunction. A physical therapy movement expert is trained in doing just that!
Are you sitting for long periods of time without getting up to move?
Do you find yourself sleeping in certain positions only to wake up with achy pains?
Are you repeating a movement or action that places stress on certain areas of the body?
Finding patterns can really clue you into how to fix a pain problem.
3. Fix the patterns
If a movement expert finds patterns that may be leading to stiffness or pain, it needs to be fixed. But how?
Sometimes the answer is right in front of us.
If you work a desk job and find yourself sitting for long periods of time, try standing up every 30-60 minutes. Even if it is only for 30 seconds. Use a restroom that is further away instead of the closest one to get some extra steps in. Or take a quick walk at your lunch break to stretch your legs and clear your mind.
If you are sleeping with your neck in a bad position, try to change your sleeping position or find a more supportive pillow. Your neck should be supported and held in a neutral position to reduce increased stress on certain areas. Sleep can sometimes be a tricky one. Everyone’s sleeping position is sacred to them and sometimes changing that up can alter sleep patterns. But if it means waking up without pain… it might be worth trying!
4. move more!
Movement is your best friend. We’ve all heard it. But it truly is! Increased movement improves cardiovascular health, lubricates joints, increases muscle activity, stabilizes your mood, helps you sleep better, and (lets be honest)… makes us feel good! Just think, when did you ever regret a workout or moving your body more? Never!
Motion is Lotion.
5. Build strength
Strength is important to have. We naturally lose strength and muscle mass as we get older. Staying active and incorporating strength training can help keep and build muscle mass over time.
But strength might also be important in relation to your pain point! Depending on the cause of your pain, strengthening weak muscles might be the answer to getting rid of your neck, back, and/or shoulder pain. The importance is knowing which area(s) are you strengthening and are you performing exercises properly to ensure you are protecting other areas of your body at the same time.
Physical therapists are movements specialists because they can help find the areas of weakness and instruct how to target your weak points without compromising other areas. While you may have shoulder or neck pain, it is always important to pay attention to what the rest of the body is doing too.
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TL;DR
A physical therapy movement expert will be able to look at and analyze your movement in order to come up with the best approach to treat your areas of pain or concern. This analysis typically involves looking for patterns, fixing the patterns, and making sure your mobility and strength are optimal and working synergistically.
Tera Sandona is a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and the founder of PT Complete. She helps high-achieving women break out of cycles of chronic pain, stress, and burnout through her Regulate and Rebuild Method, a sequenced approach that addresses the nervous system first and builds strength second. Her work focuses on helping women finally understand their bodies, rebuild strength, and create lasting resilience that fits real life.
