Being proactive can prevent injuries down the road

Since 1990, Excel Physical Therapy has specialized in caring for athletes ranging from high school to professional teams. Whether playing college ball, competing in triathlons, or simply jogging around your neighborhood, a little prevention goes a long way toward avoiding injuries down the road. After all, one injury can take you out of the game for a whole season.

PHYSICAL THERAPISTS ARE EXPERTS IN THE WAY THE BODY MOVES

Physical therapists may be most commonly known as the go-to specialists for rehabilitation, but did you know that these doctorate-level clinicians are actually musculoskeletal experts who can help prevent injuries before they occur? In fact, there’s nothing we love more than helping educate people on how to avoid traumatic or overuse injuries.

By studying the way a patient’s body moves, EXCEL’s physical therapists can identify body imbalances, movement dysfunction, and other risk factors that may predispose the individual to injury or stop them from reaching peak performance. Addressing and correcting these issues through a combination of strength, balance, and gait training can help patients achieve precise, efficient movements—thereby preventing later injuries.

INJURIES COME IN MANY DIFFERENT SHAPES AND FORMS

Physical therapists are trained to help prevent a variety of conditions by proactively improving a patient’s strength, flexibility, biomechanics, and balance. These are just a few of the areas that a licensed physical therapist is trained to address:

• Overall health and fitness. As musculoskeletal experts, physical therapists are uniquely qualified to help you build strength, mobility, and endurance—in a safe, controlled environment. Improving your functional capacity can make it easier to perform recreational fitness activities, physical work requirements, or everyday tasks.
• Athletic performance. While athletes already adhere to a strict training regimen, they can also benefit from working with a physical therapist to improve body mechanics and sport-specific movements. By improving the accuracy and efficiency of their movement, they help to reduce their risk of future injury.
• Running mechanics. Excel Physical Therapy’s Certified Running Gait Analysts analyze biomechanics, identify and gait impairments in runners of all skill levels. By identifying whether the issue is caused by mobility, motor control, or technique issues, the physical therapist can design a personalized treatment plan to help you achieve maximum performance.
• Pre-surgical rehabilitation or “Prehab.” Patients preparing to undergo orthopedic surgery can improve their post-operative outcome and expedite their recovery by working with a physical therapist before surgery to improve their strength and range of motion.
• Balance and fall risk. Physical therapists work closely with patients who have a history of falls or unsteadiness to improve their balance and core strength.
• Workspace ergonomics. Whether working in an office or at home, many of us spend the majority of our day using computers, laptops, tablets, and phones. These technologies are crucial to staying connected to the world, but can also lead to orthopedic issues affecting the neck, back, and shoulders. A physical therapist can educate you on correct posture and how to set up an ergonomic workspace.

SPORTS INJURY SCREENINGS

Excel Physical Therapy has a long history of working closely with high school, college, and professional sports teams throughout New Jersey and New York to prevent and treat injuries incurred during recreational or competitive athletics. We collaborate with the coaching and athletic training staff to provide tailored Sports Injury Screening programs which help identify athletes’ biomechanical imbalances and improve upon them before they get injured. Our goal? Helping athletes of all ages achieve their very best performance.

Ready to take charge of your health?

Remember, a little prevention goes a long way. Our licensed physical therapists will teach you how to move better, so you can keep moving forward in your day-to-day life. Contact the EXCEL office closest to you or request an appointment online to get started today.