As you all know, Maven has always been about bridging the fitness and rehabilitation gap. Although a steady number of rehab professionals are becoming like-minded, the vast majority of doctors of physical therapy continue to focus on addressing physical impairments or functional limitations through very rudimentary exercises and not the kind of functional strengthening that we, as the musculoskeletal experts, should really be incorporating into our plan of care. We seem to be stuck on exercises like biceps curls, mini squats, and straight leg raises; don't get me wrong, these exercises certainly have their place in the early stages of recovery, but need to be progressed before discharging a patient.
Simply put, patients separate rehab exercise from fitness or "gym" exercise as they are often not challenged enough by their rehab exercises and are looking to their personal trainers for a real workout, when in fact, fitness or strength goals and activities could easily have been weaved into their rehab visits with a physical therapist.
Why aren't more DPTs using the TRX suspension system or kettlebells
instead of cable machines? I thought that our profession has always been about restoring functional movement and strength? Why isn't the Concept 2 rower a
normal mainstay in all rehab facilities? Are we still relying on passive care such as, ultrasound, joint mobilization, a quick rubdown, and e-stim?
If we, as DPTs, are truly concerned about wellness and prevention, which we tout in our profession, then why aren't we educating ourselves and our patients by discussing weight management, nutrition, and fitness? Is it because we don't prioritize the after-care of our patients or are fixated on manual therapy? The overall goal is to restore pain-free functional movement and prevent injury, as I wrote earlier. If that's the case, then we should be offering sound advice and direction on how to achieve fitness goals in the safest, most efficient, and most effective manner. Doesn't nutrition and food intake have a direct effect on healing, reducing joint stress, and pain reduction? Doesn't creating a fitness plan transition towards discharge help our patients prevent injury and help reduce the burden on the failing healthcare system?
Physical therapists are one of the best positioned medical professionals to address movement impairments and provide safe and effective recommendations on exercise and weight management. It's about time our profession steps up to the plate and fully embrace fitness as part of the rehab continuum...or else other professionals will continue to take it on and leave us in the dust with our ultrasound, e-stim, and passive manual techniques.
