By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN
If an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure than physical therapists, occupational therapists and traveling rehab therapists in these fields have many reasons to be optimistic. It is important for rehab therapists including traveling physical therapists and travel occupational therapists to remind the public that it’s not necessary to wait until something is broken, pulled, strained, dislocated or twisted before seeking the services of a therapist. Here are some specific patient demographics for traveling therapists with a passion for patient preventative education to target for assessments and consultations.
Elderly Patients: Fall prevention, balance and core stability are key preventative measures for this age group. Traveling occupational therapists can also focus on risks that elderly patients encounter in their activities of daily living.
Weekend Warriors: Teach these ambitious folks to seek out therapy before they find themselves sprawled on the basketball floor or at the bottom of a ski slope. They can benefit from ROM assessments, teaching about proper warm up and stretching techniques and an assessment to determine their health level for desired sports and activities along with recommendations for maximum exertion levels.
Office Workers: Therapists are a valuable source of info for employees at risk for carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive use injury and other ergonomic issues.
Child Athletes: Physical therapists are an excellent resource for young athletes and their parents to learn about how to prevent injuries and assessments for any movement, alignment or balance issues that place the child at a higher risk for problems.
All of the Above: All individuals suffering the regular aches and pains of life can benefit from a therapy assessment to learn how a more conservative therapy approach may benefit them more than their medications or other forms of current relief.
Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.
