Most professionals have assistants, for example, a physician (MD) has a physician assistant (PA). Hence, a physical therapist (PT) has a physical therapist assistant (PTA). Each is incredibly educated requiring a graduate degree from an accredited physical therapist program for PTs, and an associate degree from an accredited PTA program for PTAs, followed by both […]
At this point, the scientific evidence is omnipresent to the point of becoming irrefutable. We are sitting too much at work and at home, and it’s doing terrible things to our bodies and minds. New findings even indicate that regular exercise may not counteract the negative health issues associated with prolonged periods of daily sitting. With […]
Your feet have been taking you where you want to go nearly every day of your life. But eventually, those decades of wear and tear are bound to take their toll. In fact, among people over the age of 65, foot pain ranks among the top 20 reasons for seeing a doctor, according to a […]
So your kids got you to promise to exercise more in 2022 during the festivities of the holiday season. You couldn’t resist. After all, you agreed because you love them, but now you either disappoint them and take it easy, or you convince yourself to give it a try. Come on, you can do it […]
Research has shown that positive expectations increase the chances of a good outcome. It’s the old self-fulfilling prophecy; your attitude determines your approach to situations. If you believe you’ll be successful, you’ll likely put in more effort. You’ll be more willing to try new things, take some risks and keep trying after failures or setbacks. […]
The physical therapy profession has long understood the value of physical activity — and that understanding is spreading, thanks in part to continual research on the health benefits of physical activity across a range of conditions. As APTA continues its public information campaign on the importance of physical activity, here are five recent studies that underscore the […]
Healthy bones can help you stay strong and active throughout your life. If good bone health is achieved during childhood and maintained, it can help to avoid bone loss and fracture later in life. For healthy bones, it is important to maintain a physically active lifestyle and eat a balanced diet with plenty of calcium, […]
Recently we introduced you to Long COVID and all of the challenges it brings. This month we’re going to talk about what physical therapists can do to help people living with Long COVID. Early in the pandemic, therapists started seeing people with what would later be known as Long COVID. They noticed that some of […]
Contrary to long-held wisdom, teen athletes recover from concussions sooner if they do light aerobic exercise rather than resting in a dark room, new research suggests. Instead of so-called “cocoon therapy,” new research-supported therapy has young concussion patients getting out of bed and doing protected exercise earlier. “What the research found was that adolescents were […]
The physical therapy profession and U.S. armed forces have a long and collaborative relationship, one that includes a formal partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Following are a few accomplishments of our women and men in uniform. The military introduced the country to physical therapy. Credit: U.S. Army Photograph. On April 16 1947, President Harry S. Truman, posing here […]
