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Many of us will develop various pain conditions throughout our lifetimes that need the skill and immediate attention by a primary musculoskeletal care provider. What will you do when this occurs? Will you go to an urgent care walk-in center for an evaluation by a PA or NP? Maybe you will call for an appointment with your primary care physician or orthopedist and wait several weeks to be seen? The right answer should be to see your personal Doctor of Physical Therapy and even one with advanced board certifications in the area of orthopedics (OCS) or sports physical therapy (SCS).
The American Physical Therapy Association ( APTA) conducted a landmark study in 2023 that looked at the cost effectiveness of seeing a physical therapist directly for eight common conditions including back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow to name a few. The study synthesized research comparing physical therapy versus non physical therapy treatments. The results showed that services provided by the physical therapist for these conditions were clinically effective and delivered net economic benefits with improvement in quality of life. (The Economic Value of Physical Therapy in the United States A Report from the American Physical Therapy Association, 2023)
This study was used to support the 2024 decision by the US Department of Defense to allow physical therapists to serve as primary care providers for all neuromuscular conditions across all military settings. This was developed to extend the already implemented direct access to physical therapy in the military for the past 40+ years. Way before legislation was passed in all 50 states to allow some form of direct access to physical therapy services without a physician referral, the military was allowing it for decades. They saw the cost effectiveness and easy access to highly skilled physical therapists for triage and screening of musculoskeletal injuries in the field or during training. My first exposure to this was during my clinical rotations at the West Point Military Academy in 1987 where the physical therapists ordered and reviewed imaging and issued anti-inflammatory medications when clinically appropriate.
Most people still don’t realize they can access the skills of a PT directly without physician referral and the visit paid by your insurance plan. This even includes government programs such as Medicare, which does not require a prescription or referral but only that your physician is aware and agrees with the treating physical therapist’s plan of care. Therefore, the results are clear, you have direct access to see a PT, it saves your healthcare dollars, you get immediate appointments with non-pharmalogical solutions including the evidence-based effectiveness of specific exercises, manual therapy techniques and physical modalities to address pain syndromes and functional impairments.
Maybe you wake up with a stiff neck that travels down into your shoulder blade and prevents you from working on the computer all day. How about twisting your knee or ankle while playing pickleball. You work in the yard and your back gets stiff and doesn’t go away after 3 days. All these scenarios would benefit from a visit to your musculoskeletal health care practitioner, your physical therapist.
Who is your physical therapist? Make sure they are on speed dial to help address the musculoskeletal conditions throughout your lifetime that would benefit from the immediate interventions provided by this highly skilled and cost-effective health care practitioner.
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