Celebrate National Physical Therapy Month in October By Encouraging the Use of PT to Opioids for Chronic Pain Issues among Patients
Each year – during the Month of October – physical therapists throughout the nation celebrate National Physical Therapy Month. This year, your practice should take part by ensuring that patients are educated on the fact that physical therapy is a safer, more productive alternative to managing chronic pain than the use of addictive and dangerous opioids.
Promote #ChoosePT
Millions of people around the nation suffer from pain on a daily basis. Pain is not only a challenge, it has the potential to be debilitating. Despite this fact, no one should place their health and their livelihood at risk in order to reduce pain or become pain-free.
Unfortunately, many are doing this on a daily basis due to taking opioid medications to reduce or completely eliminate their pain. There is a better way and, as a physical therapist, you know what that is – learning self-management techniques through PT.
Right now, you can start taking part in National Physical Therapy Month by promoting #ChoosePT.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Collaborates with Physical Therapists to Protect Patients
Based on information retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid usage has – literally – quadrupled within the United States.
This is a staggering statistic considering there is no reduction in the amount of pain that is reported by patients throughout the country.
While considered to be an appropriate option in terms of treating cancer, engaging in palliative care, providing treatment for acute care, and during care at the end of life, the CDC is collaborating with physical therapists all over the nation in order to promote the use of PT over dangerous opioids.
In your practice, you should promote this fact as National Physical Therapy Month draws near.
Specify Who Benefits from Physical Therapy
One of the best ways to promote the theme in the upcoming National Physical Therapy Month, your practice should outline and promote who may benefit from the use of physical therapy. These include – but, are not limited to – the following patients:
- Individuals that are prone to depression, addiction, and are at risk for accidentally overdosing on opioid medications.
- Patients that have a desire to actually completely eliminate the pain and not simply mask their symptoms.
- People that have a desire to improve their level of mobility and optimize their overall quality of life.
- Those that suffer from low back pain, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, osteoarthritis of the knees and/or the hip.
- Individuals that have chronic bouts of pain. These outline those that suffer with their pain for a period of 90 days or longer.
Start Today!
Now that you know the theme of this year’s National Physical Therapy Month, it is time to start promoting #ChoosePT. Your practice should follow @MoveForwardPT, which is on both Facebook and Twitter. You should share public service announcements for the campaign, and promote the concept of physical therapy over opioid usage in your community.
You may also join our network of physical therapists in order to collaborate for this very special event and get patients into your practice: Download Our Application Forms
