Keeping up with the demands of our profession requires the ability to learn and grow. Our goal here at ProMet Physical Therapy is to inspire our community and give them a glimpse about what we are working on internally.

As Clinicians, our highest priority is delivering high-quality care. The best way for us to offer that to all of our valued clients is by keeping up with the innovations in our field.

A recent 2020 article discussed the importance of walking as an intervention. Most individuals with joint pain—whether in their shoulder, back, hip or knee—reported walking to ease symptoms and improve function. The study shows that a general movement as in walking can have specific effects at the joints of your body. Simply swinging your arms while walking at a normal speed induces a pain-relieving effect that can allow someone to get through their day.

Walking encourages movement from all joints from head to toe and might get overlooked when trying to return from an injury. In the clinic, we focus on slow walking as a strategy to enforce high movement quality. Walking is something we should NOT take for granted—and with all the walking we do in our daily lives, it’s good to have some intentional work to make sure you are walking with a purpose. Since we take thousands of steps a day it is important that each step counts and we aren’t favouring one area or another. Overuse injuries are incredibly common and walking is an activity that some of us definitely over do.  Let’s make sure that the activity that we all do on a DAILY basis is optimal for longevity!

Getting the right assessment from a Physical Therapist at ProMet Physical Therapy to observe the flaws and detect these critical components can prevent headaches down the road. Consider seeing a movement specialist here at ProMet PhysicalTherapy at the Atlas Mall, Manhasset, or Kew Gardens locations. Balance and gait training can make a difference because you can work with an expert in movement who can catch the subtleties of something we do every single day—and it’s a matter of bringing thoughts to action.

References:

Saragiotto BT, Fioratti I, Tiedemann A, et al. The effectiveness of strategies to promote walking in people with musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review with meta-analysis. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2020;50(11):597-606.