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The Manual Touch Physical Therapy

Whole Body Approach

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What the Heck is PT?

August 4, 2016 By Denise Schwartz Leave a Comment

Denise’s definition of Physical Therapy (PT):

IMG_0111 20%Physical Therapists are movement experts working with people of all ages, from infants to the elderly, who understand how the body is supposed to move for any given activity in order to get you back to do doing the things you love.  PTs use their highly skilled hands to manipulate tissue to promote healing and improve mobility.  PTs prescribe exercises for a patient’s specific needs in order to improve mobility and balance, increase strength, improve coordination, improve body awareness, and improve movement needed for any activity.  But above all, PTs are educators, teaching their patients how to manage or abolish their pain, take care of their bodies to prevent further injury or disability, and facilitate their patients to be as independent as possible.

When I decided to become a PT over 30 years ago, being just shy of 5’ tall, people looked at me and said “you are so small; how are you going to be able to lift people?”   I repeatedly had to explain to people what PT is and how my size didn’t matter.  I learned how to use my body safely to help others and prevent injury to myself, whether I have to help someone stand from a chair, hold someone’s leg for exercise, or use my hands to manipulate soft tissue and joints.  In fact, I’ve now been a PT for over 25 years and have never had a work related injury!

Over the years I have heard many misnomers about physical therapy and appropriately some of the statements directly correlated to my work; other statements were just a misinformed observation on the other person’s part.  I’ve compiled some comments or myths about PT people have said to me over the years:

ask-a-physical-therapist crop

  1. PT stands for “pain and torture” or “physical terrorists”.

Contrary to belief, PT is not supposed to be painful or cause further injury.  Oftentimes, the patient’s body/tissue will be tender or painful when a PT uses their hands to manipulate the tissue in order to promote healing, but this should not be so painful that it increases the patient’s body tension or stress.  Your PT needs to be aware of the patient’s tissue tolerance level so as not to increase symptoms that may persist.

When your PT prescribes exercises for you, they should always be pain-free.  The only exceptions are some types of stretching, in order to gain joint mobility, for certain issues such as a frozen shoulder or post-total knee replacement surgery.  Unfortunately, this will be painful, but again, your PT needs to monitor your body response to pain and work within your tolerance level so as not to make your issue worse.

  1. “PTs have to be big.”

In PT school a large part of our education is body mechanics, how to use our bodies efficiently without injury to ourselves and how to teach proper body mechanics to our patients.   We learn the best posture techniques for ourselves when helping someone stand from a chair or move in bed, bend down when working with someone’s feet, and how to sit properly while using our hands on people without hurting our backs.  When using our hands to manipulate tissue, we learn how to keep the joints of our fingers and wrists in the best alignment, so as not to cause degeneration or injury.  When lifting a body part such as a leg to assess for joint range of motion or knee ligament injury, we learn to stand and use our arms/body in a way to decrease our possibility of injury.  We also gain a self-awareness of our own limitations when helping a patient, so we ask a colleague to help.  This wonderful part of a PT’s education not only helps keep the therapist healthy in order to have a long career, but also gives us the groundwork to teach this information to our patients.

  1. “PT is not only about lifting people”.

There are many patient populations that PTs work with; some populations will require more lifting than others.  PTs who work in a hospital or inpatient rehab setting who see patients with acute injury or disease will have to do more patient lifting as these patients are too weak to move on their own.

PTs who work in an outpatient setting will have less lifting to do as patients are more independent and stronger at this point.

  1. “Is manual therapy massage?”

IMG_0166 15%When people hear the word massage, they often think of a relaxing setting, with gentle hand movements to promote relaxation, typically over the whole body.  Manual therapy, is using the hands to promote healing to a specific tissue.  Sometimes massage therapists will use different forms of massage that are more akin to manual therapy, and sometimes a PT will do gentle massage to a specific area, so there is overlap.  However, in general, PTs do not do whole body massage, and the type of manual therapy chosen is very specific for that patient or issue.

  1. “I thought I just had to live with the pain” or “I thought rest would take care of the pain”.

Sometimes this is true, but more often than not these statements don’t have to be true.  Trying PT sooner versus later will promote faster and better healing or more complete healing.

People with chronic pain, long-standing pain greater than 3 months, can still benefit from PT and possibly get rid of the pain completely or at least have better pain management.  Research now shows that adding PT to medication therapy manages pain more effectively than medication alone.

  1. “I thought it would be a lot of work.”

hard-work-uphill-character-shows-difficult-working-labour-100240663To be healthy always takes work, but it should be within your tolerance.  When I treat athletes, they often want as much exercise as possible and like to have a lot of homework.  When prescribing an exercise program for non-athletes, it’s important that the PT work within the patient’s tolerance for activity, commitment, and discipline and still help resolve the issue.

  1. “My doctor made me go to this PT clinic.”

When you go to the doctor for a painful issue, such as back pain or ankle pain, the doctor may recommend PT at a specific clinic, but you have the right to go anywhere you want with the PT script your doctor gave you.

  1. “My doctor didn’t prescribe PT.”

I believe in strong patient advocacy.  When going to the doctor for a painful issue, if you have medicare, you can be your own advocate by asking your physician for a physical therapy script, as not all doctors will know when you might benefit from PT.  If you have private insurance, you can come into PT without a script.

  1. “PT is only for post-surgery rehab or post-injury.”

PT is not just about healing after injury or disease or when you have pain, but is also about prevention and wellness.  People can be proactive and come in to see a PT before they are injured for prevention education, such as body mechanics instruction or sport- specific instruction.  This is not typically covered by insurance and is a cash-based service, except for patients at great risk for falling or injury; insurance will cover a few visits for prevention education for these patients.

  1. “PTs always use hot packs.”

Some PTs will use hot packs to warm up a specific part of the body before the patient receives manual therapy.  Others put hot packs on their patients for comfort and pain relief.  Hot packs might feel nice, but they are hardly a necessary component of your healing process while at the PT clinic and as such, many PTs don’t use hot packs, including me.

  1. “PTs just talk to their patients.”

IMG_0122 20%

I felt this statement was meant negatively, as if PTs don’t really accomplish anything with their patients except to sit and talk with them.  It’s not worth responding to the negative aspect of this statement, but let’s look at this differently.  Yes, PTs talk and listen to their patients a lot during their therapy session.  What we discover through all that communication is that often PTs might be the first in the chain of healthcare providers to truly unravel the patient’s story of how and why they are suffering now.

Filed Under: Health & Wellness Tagged With: back pain, balance, body mechanics, exercise, frozen shoulder, is manual therapy massage, knee pain, manual therapy, massage, mobility, physical therapy, physical therapy career, physical therapy information, PT, running portal, what do physical therapists do

About Denise Schwartz

Denise Schwartz, PT, IMT, C is the owner of The Manual Touch Physical Therapy. For over 30 years, she has been helping patients reduce pain and improve quality of life using a whole body approach. Denise specializes in chronic pain, spinal conditions, running/triathlon injuries and prevention, balance/vestibular disorders, functional exercise, kinesiotaping, and various non-traditional and traditional & manual therapies. Contact Denise at denise@themanualtouch.com

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I have really appreciated the physical therapy services provided by Denise Schwartz for the severe osteoporosis in my spine. I feel the exercises she has taught me have improved my overall strength and balance, and helped minimize pain from certain movements. I also feel more confident that I am moving correctly in my everyday activities to prevent any further problems.  Also, Denise’s gentle massage techniques at the end of the sessions help to minimize any discomfort that occasionally can come… Read more
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Denise Schwartz is an amazing physical therapist! I work as a cocktail server for 10 hours every shift! And had a lot of lower back pain that was occurring half way during my time at work. After visiting Denise, my back pain at work completely went away! I really loved how she had an app I could use if I forgot the exercises we did. She was professional and you can tell she really cared about her clients. I Would definitely recommended going to her!”
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I saw Denise for ongoing heal pain as well as an athletic back pain injury. My back pain is gone and my heal pain (which I’ve had for several years) is significantly better so that it doesn’t interfere with activity. The exercises Denise gave me have strengthened my core and will prevent future injuries. Not only that, she provides personalized and attentive treatment the entire visit (much more personalized care than traditional PT centers). I highly recommend Denise!
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I came in to see Denise due to a cervical disc herniation.  I have been told by Illinois Bone & Joint that they refer patients to Denise often as she is able to help when other physical therapy programs fail.  That was definitely the case in my situation. I had 6 weeks of PT at another location but still was unable to turn my head fully or work at a desk without terrible pain.  After seeing Denise and following her exercise program, I was almost back to normal within a few short months.  I… Read more
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I’m a pediatric physical therapist and I was taking a yoga teacher training.  My left shoulder and neck were getting progressively tighter and eventually pain was keeping me up at night.  I knew I wanted treatment from a very knowledgeable PT with good manual skills and someone who excelled at evaluating postural and functional issues.  Denise is that person and she corrected my biomechanics with exercises and manual therapy.  There are only a few PT’s that possess skills like Denise.  … Read more
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I want to thank you for professional treatment of my cranial sacral and vestibular condition as a result of my auto accident. I am glad I was referred to you upon asking for someone like yourself who specializes in treating post concussion syndrome.”  
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The physical therapy I received at The Manual Touch PT helped reduce my sciatica pain to a manageable level in just a few sessions.  The exercises I was given strengthened and trained my muscles to prevent further back problems allowing me to return to playing basketball.
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After going from a collegiate athlete to a working professional with a desk job, I was surprised when I started having breathing problems after working for a few years. I went to multiple doctors and ran different tests, but there was no straightforward cause. After a few years of continuous issues, it was discovered that my posture was a big part of my breathing issues. My forward head angle caused additional strain on my vocal cords, which influenced my vocal cord dysfunction and dysphonia. My… Read more
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Before I met Denise, I spent a good part of every day in bed.  I would go out for one project, then come home and lay on the sofa for the rest of the day. Now I go out in the AM and come home in time to make dinner.  Because of work Denise has done with me I feel young again.  Exercises are easy but help a lot.  She is my angel.
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I’m very excited because I’m getting stronger, more stable when I’m walking, and more flexible.  Yesterday, for the first time in several years, I was able to travel by train downtown and visit the Art Institute.  There was lots of walking and sitting, activities which previously caused me to be in pain for several days afterwards.  But today, I’m just a little sore.  I feel I’ve made very good progress in feeling better, stronger and feel less pain.
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We believe all body systems and mental/emotional health are connected. We take a whole body approach to discover why patients are not healing and what were the initial causes of their current symptoms. 

Our mission is to use this whole body approach to help patients heal and overcome pain and limitations, resulting in improved quality of life. We also aim to promote wellness in our communities through ongoing education. 
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Testimonials

I have really appreciated the physical therapy services provided by Denise Schwartz for the severe osteoporosis in my spine. I feel the exercises she has taught me have improved my overall strength and balance, and helped minimize pain from certain m… Read more
Denise Schwartz is an amazing physical therapist! I work as a cocktail server for 10 hours every shift! And had a lot of lower back pain that was occurring half way during my time at work. After visiting Denise, my back pain at work completely went a… Read more
I saw Denise for ongoing heal pain as well as an athletic back pain injury. My back pain is gone and my heal pain (which I’ve had for several years) is significantly better so that it doesn’t interfere with activity. The exercises Denise gave me have… Read more
I came in to see Denise due to a cervical disc herniation.  I have been told by Illinois Bone & Joint that they refer patients to Denise often as she is able to help when other physical therapy programs fail.  That was definitely the case in my situ… Read more
I’m a pediatric physical therapist and I was taking a yoga teacher training.  My left shoulder and neck were getting progressively tighter and eventually pain was keeping me up at night.  I knew I wanted treatment from a very knowledgeable PT wit… Read more
I want to thank you for professional treatment of my cranial sacral and vestibular condition as a result of my auto accident. I am glad I was referred to you upon asking for someone like yourself who specializes in treating post concussion syndrome.”… Read more
The physical therapy I received at The Manual Touch PT helped reduce my sciatica pain to a manageable level in just a few sessions.  The exercises I was given strengthened and trained my muscles to prevent further back problems allowing me to return… Read more
After going from a collegiate athlete to a working professional with a desk job, I was surprised when I started having breathing problems after working for a few years. I went to multiple doctors and ran different tests, but there was no straightforw… Read more
Before I met Denise, I spent a good part of every day in bed.  I would go out for one project, then come home and lay on the sofa for the rest of the day. Now I go out in the AM and come home in time to make dinner.  Because of work Denise has done… Read more
I’m very excited because I’m getting stronger, more stable when I’m walking, and more flexible.  Yesterday, for the first time in several years, I was able to travel by train downtown and visit the Art Institute.  There was lots of walking an… Read more
Read More

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