With the warm weather coming and yard work needing to be done, we are gravitating to the outdoors. Ball games, track meets and soccer have been occurring for a couple of months in some areas. Our patients are all ages and shapes with different co-morbities. Some of us may work in acute care who see a patient this time of year that is getting a knee replaced from years of playing football; some may be seeing a patient who was working too hard in the yard and suffered a heart attack; some may be seeing a patient who recently had a rotator cuff repair and wants to play with his/her child/grandchildren next season; some of us may be seeing a child needing a new wheelchair in order to get outside with his/her peers while others maybe seeing a grandmother who fractured her hip this past winter and is hoping to walk without a walker and leave the skilled nursing unit. Regardless of what area of physical therapy we work in, our patients desire to be active and at the highest functional level possible.
May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. Physical fitness applies to our clientele whether we work in a school system, a skilled care unit or with athletes. Regular physical activity increases you and your patients’ chances of living a longer and healthier life. It reduces your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, and some types of cancer. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that people:
- Aim for 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week. Moderate activity includes things like walking fast, dancing, swimming, and raking leaves.
- Perform muscle-strengthening activities – like lifting weights and using exercises bands – at least 2 days a week.
- Take time out this month to educate family, friends and patients about the importance of physical fitness.
We have several courses on PhysicalTherapy.com that address physical fitness and sports. Please browse our library of courses at your leisure. If there is something you would like to see in our library, please contact me at ckelly@physicaltherapy.com. We are here to help fulfill your educational needs!
Your colleague in physical therapy,
Calista Kelly, PT, DPT, Cert. MDT
