How Physical Therapy Can Help Your Health and Wealth
Albany, NY (PRWEB) June 30, 2014 -- No matter where you hurt—neck, shoulder, back, knee—physical therapy may improve your quality of life and save you time, trouble, and money.
With physical therapy, you’ll be better able to move freely without discomfort, feel renewed, and maybe avoid injury altogether.
It may also help you avoid painful, invasive, and expensive surgery. Research shows that physical therapy, combined with comprehensive medical management, can be just as effective as surgery when it comes to relieving such conditions as osteoarthritis of the knee.
What’s more, falls among the elderly are prevalent, dangerous, and can diminish their ability to lead an active and independent life. According to the National Council on Aging, about one in three people over 65 will fall at least once this year, perhaps with disastrous consequences. A physical therapist can design an individualized program of exercises and activities, with an emphasis on strength, flexibility, and proper gait.
Despite all the advantages of physical therapy, some people are not getting all they should and that their doctors have prescribed because of high co-payments. These have caused many patients to face a sad dilemma: healthcare vs. making ends meet.
When co-payment plans were first introduced, it was thought they’d lower medical costs by decreasing unnecessary care. Empirical evidence, however, shows that high co-payments can actually increase healthcare costs.
According to research published in The New England Journal of Medicine, high co-payments led to patients skipping ambulatory care. This increased healthcare costs because the patients then needed more acute care, such as at a hospital, later on. The study concluded that “raising cost sharing for ambulatory care may have adverse health consequences and may increase total spending on healthcare.”
“When you have patients who are in pain and recovering from injuries avoiding medically necessary care because they can’t afford the high co-payments, you know there is a problem,” said Matthew R. Hyland, PT, Ph.D., MPA, CSCS, past president of the New York Physical Therapy Association.
High co-payments, it appears, add to healthcare expense and make it hard for patients to get the treatment they need to stay healthy. Many Americans are going to http://www.house.gov and http://www.senate.gov to ask their legislators what can be done.
Learn More
For further facts and stats, or to find a nearby physical therapist, visit http://www.moveforwardny.com.
Healthy Ideas
With physical therapy, many people are better able to move without discomfort and maybe avoid injury, surgery or hospitalization altogether. Nevertheless, some people don’t get all they should and that their doctors have prescribed because of high co-payments. Learn more at http://www.moveforwardny.com.
About the New York Physical Therapy Association:
The New York Physical Therapy Association is a professional, non-profit association of approximately 12,000 Physical Therapists (PTs), Physical Therapist Assistants (PTAs), and PT/PTA students. The NYPTA is dedicated to serving the public's health interests, improving the standard of health for people of all ages, and advancing the benefits of physical therapy and the interests of physical therapy professionals in state of New York. To learn more about the New York Physical Therapy Association, please visit http://www.nypta.org.
Bibiana Braun, New York Physical Therapy Association, +1 (518) 459-4499 Ext: 205, [email protected]
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