Physical Therapy
By Richard J. Sidor, PT, DC, Ac, CGFI
"The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease."
Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician regarded as the father of Western medicine, was a "bone setter," a modern-day physical therapist or chiropractor.
Ancient Chinese texts on healthcare incorporate stimulation of acupuncture points, manipulation of the spine, massage, exercise, diet and herbs in all prescriptions for any condition they have.
For thousands of years, what we think of today as separate professions of physical therapy and chiropractic have always been combined and used by the same practitioner. Treatment of neuro-musculoskeletal injuries is an involved process. Treatment directed at the joints alone misses the muscular component of the injury. Likewise, treatment directed at the muscular system will not identify the joint component.
I've treated many patients over the years whose shoulder problems were the result of their bodies compensating for old knee injuries that were never rehabbed properly. The best practitioners don't just look at the site of pain; they look at how the body as a whole is functioning. When problems span such a distance through the body, it is essential to identify and appropriately treat both the muscular and joint components.
