There’s a good chance youve never thought about visiting a physical therapist unless you had to.
Some physical therapists, though, actually have a roster of patients who come in when theyre not injured.
Instead, they treat physical therapy as a form of preventive medicine.
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And I dont want to have to be hunched over or have back surgery.
How can I prevent that?
Joubert says that actors and modelslikeJennifer Anistonand Cara Delevingnecome to her to work on theirpostureand overall body awareness.
She also says she works with a lot of singers, helping them with diaphragmatic breathing.
Surgery is plan Z, he says.
Doing prehab before surgery can only help you after surgery, Rieber says.
Sometimes they come anywhere from once a week, to once a month, to every few months.
Most preventive patients are looking for ways to keep their bodies functioning properly and avoid injury.
So its very important that its addressed early, he says.
Getting an evaluation can expose things.
Think of it as prehab for your HIIT workouts and bootcamp classes.
Joubert encourages people to see a physical therapist before starting a new activity.
Maybe theres an issue with your footwear we can look at, she says.
She wants to help guide peoples exercise routines so that theyre doing whats best for their bodies.
Id like to almost be the quarterback of someones fitness regimen, Joubert says.
I dont know if I would promote just going [to physical therapy] for the hell of.
Theres nothing wrong with it, but I dont know if Id promote it, Rieber says.
Henry Goitz, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Detroit Medical Center, agrees.
Generally speaking, theres not a benefit to tune ups, Goitz says.
[You shouldn’t] really need the tune-up part."
If theyre doing all that, great.
But as a usual routine just to go?
That I dont understand."
And remember to always listen to your body.
If something hurts, stop doing it.
You only get one body, so its always worth giving it the TLC it deserves.
