If you’re like most people, you’ve probably used the pandemic as an excuse for getting out of something you weren’t exactly looking forward to doing. Whether that’s Thanksgiving with the in-laws or a trip to the dentist’s office, we’ve all probably been a little more reserved in what we’re doing during the pandemic, and rightfully so. However, we shouldn’t use the pandemic as an excuse to skip necessary activities that can keep us healthy. Exercise is the most obvious activity that shouldn’t be skipped, but so too is something like physical therapy. Below, we explain why you shouldn’t’ skip out on physical therapy just because we’re in the middle of a pandemic.
Don’t Ignore PT During The Coronavirus Pandemic
Although there has been some good news regarding the development and distribution of a vaccine in recent days, that doesn’t mean you should just hole up at your house for another few months until you can get the vaccine and head back to normal activities. You still need to be proactive about your health, and physical therapy can help you do just that. Here’s why you shouldn’t ignore PT during the pandemic:
- Limited Window For Improvement – After an injury or surgery, we often have a limited window where we can work to achieve maximum medical improvement. Skipping therapy or other rehab techniques during this crucial time period can limit your healing capacity. Don’t cheat yourself out of improved physical function simply because you chose to miss your window because of the pandemic.
- It’s Safe – We’ve implemented a number of additional changes to make it even safer for a patient to come into our clinic during the pandemic. From increased sanitation and mask wearing to social distancing and capacity limits, we’re taking a number of steps to ensure our clients can stay safe and have peace of mind when they come into our clinic.
- Virtual Visits Available – If you’re still uneasy about coming into the clinic, we don’t blame you, and that’s why we’ve also begun offering virtual physical therapy consultations. You can be seen by one of our specialists from the comfort of your home thanks to our telemedicine options. You do not need to worry about outside COVID exposure if you don’t have to leave the house, which is one of the biggest reasons why we’ve added virtual consultations at our clinic.
- Pandemic Bringing Out Poor Habits – With more people now working from home and leaving their house less, most people are now much less active than they were prior to the pandemic. This decrease in activity is bad for our overall health, and one way you can increase your activity and exercise is through a physical therapy routine. If you’re not able to continue your normal pre-sport workout routine because the gyms are closed, consider syncing up with a physical therapist who can help you develop an exercise or strength training routine to help keep you active.
- It’ll Help Before Surgery – Finally, if you are one of many Minnesotans who had their elective surgery postponed or rescheduled because of the pandemic, it’s important that you don’t just sit around waiting for that new surgical date to arrive. If you do nothing, your body will only be in worse shape by the time surgery rolls around. Instead, dive into a prehab physical therapy routine and work to strengthen the areas you’ll need most after surgery. You can actually use this delay to improve your body and make it more likely that surgery will be a success, and this can be achieved through surgery.
