My rotator cuff was damaged, but it felt better within weeks, after physical therapy with ultrasound to improve blood flow, deep friction massage to break up microscopic scarring, and home strengthening exercises. No surgery! Back to swimming!
No one keeps good track of visits to physical therapists, but there is so much demand that there are now more than 200 training programs in the United States, up from 140 just 10 years ago. Physical therapists are also better trained than ever before, with the number getting doctorates soaring.
Despite growing demand, in some ways it's easier than ever to see a physical therapist. Most states allow patients "direct access" without a doctor's referral, though in some cases, insurance companies will not pay for physical therapy without a referral.
"Physical therapy is booming. We can't get them out of school fast enough. Hospitals are crying out for physical therapists all over the country," said Dr. Jeffrey B. Palmer , director of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.
Part of the growing demand is because the population is getting older and creakier. But much of it, particularly for problems like back pain, he said, "is the desire for conservative management."
Dr. Lyle Micheli , an orthopedic surgeon and director of sports medicine at Children's Hospital Boston, said he now sends 90 percent of patients "to physical therapy instead of surgery."
At the Spine Center at New England Baptist Hospital, Dr. Geno Martinez, who specializes in rehabilitation medicine, tells many patients that their back pain will improve if they get moving with the help of a physical therapist. Though some physicians still don't believe it, he said, "in reality, back pain, in general, is not a surgical condition."
