Although your patients may think the beginning of October means it’s time for scary movies and candy corn – and yes, pumpkin spice everything – PTs know October means it’s National Physical Therapy Month! How exciting to celebrate PT all month long!
Despite being the month of Halloween, National PT Month is all about taking the ~scary~ out of pain management! According to the APTA, patients continue to misuse and are overprescribed opioids for pain management. So, October 2018 is all about promoting physical therapy for pain management over opioids; this is something many PTs are passionate about.
The opioid crisis has been a hot topic in health care all year long because of the rising number of deaths associated with opioids. Physical therapy is a proven alternative to opioid usage, serving as a significantly safer method for pain management.
If you haven’t already, check out our blog on 4 Ways You Can Fight the Opioid Crisis from Within Your PT Practice. You’ll learn how you can:
- Acknowledge your patients’ pain
- Educate them about their pain
- Educate them about risks associated with opioids
- Focus on improving function
The APTA suggests tapping into the award-winning #ChoosePT campaign to promote physical therapy to your community. There are a variety of ways you can promote the #ChoosePT message in fun, effective ways!
Believe it or not, you have a tremendous impact on the future of physical therapy and the future of health care. If every PT across the country takes a little bit of time this month to promote #ChoosePT and educate their patients on alternative pain management, it will create a major change in the industry.
PTs are masters of healing and dedicated individuals who deserve more than just one month of recognition and celebration. At FYZICAL, we celebrate PTs every day! So, happy National PT Month to all the great PTs out there! Take some time to celebrate YOU and show your community the importance of choosing PT!
