Swelling is good and other things your doctor probably won’t tell you
By Dr. Adam Cramer, PT, DPT; MyoFit Clinic
It’s a common misconception that physical therapy only follows surgery or other treatment, and that you need a referral from another doctor to begin physical therapy. In the state of Ohio, you do not need a physician’s referral or prescription to have your physical therapy services covered.
Actually, for the best outcomes in the long run, research reveals the effectiveness of starting with physical therapy soon after an injury or chronic pain occurs.
As a newer practice, at MyoFit Clinics, we focus on the latest approaches to physical therapy and offer a host of breakthrough treatments such as dry needling to help patients heal. The old-school way of thinking to rest and ice an injury might actually slow down the healing process.
Cold temperatures stop the body’s natural healing response. Acute inflammation, or swelling, gets a bad rap. It’s there for a reason. We also do not recommend ‘staying off’ an injury either. Instead of putting a patient in a boot for a foot or ankle injury, which may cause problems with a person’s gait due to compensatory movement, we try to address the root injury and get them walking normally right away.
We never want to cover up or ignore pain, which is the body’s method of response. We don’t want people to take medication and hope an injury will just get better on its own. This could worsen the initial problem, while causing other ones in a chain reaction.
Through these conservative measures, our doctors of physical therapy work with patients to reduce symptoms and improve their mobility while successfully avoiding pain medication, unnecessary imaging, potentially harmful injections and needless surgery.
The best part about being an independent provider is that we aren’t connected to hospitals or doctors, so we are free to treat our patients the way we know works best.
Founded by Dr. Adam M. Cramer, PT, DPT, MyoFit Clinic is located in Middlefield, 440-632-1007, Chardon,440-286-1007, and Ashtabula 440-993-1004. Visit MyoFitClinic.com to sign up for telehealth e-visits and find out more.