Nearly 5 million people in the United States have fibromyalgia. This chronic condition causes widespread pain, fatigue, and cognitive issues. It can be difficult to manage and can severely impact quality of life. The best treatment plans combine exercise, modalities and education. Physical therapists are experts in all three, so they’re the perfect practitioner to help!
Exercise
Currently, recommendations for the management of fibromyalgia include patient education and non-pharmacological interventions. The right exercise routine can help with pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, depression, and more. A combination of strengthening, stretching and aerobic exercise is the most effective. You and your PT will work together to find the right type and intensity of exercise to best manage your symptoms.
Modalities
Exercise isn’t the only tool the PT has to help people with fibromyalgia though. Gentle manual therapy and massage have been shown to help reduce pain and muscle stiffness caused by fibromyalgia. Physical therapists also use modalities to reduce symptoms.

Examples include:
● electrical stimulation
● laser
● biofeedback
● dry needling in states where it is allowed

In addition to land-based exercise, some clinics also have the option of aquatic therapy. This combines the benefits of exercise with the warmth of a therapeutic pool.

Education
Education is another important component in treating fibromyalgia. A physical therapist spends more time with their patients than most other practitioners. They have the time to help you understand what’s going on, and what you can do about it. Research shows that people with more knowledge about their condition have better outcomes, more confidence, and cope better.

While there is no cure for fibromyalgia, physical therapists can help with pain management, strength, mobility, fatigue and function to help patients find relief from their symptoms. 
References:

1. Research (peer-reviewed)
a. Therex effectiveness – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5632473/
b. PT for fibromyalgia – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31140398/
c. Exercises for fibro – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29185675/
d. Manual therapy for fibro – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32604939/
e. Aquatic PT for fibro – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23818412/
f. Effectiveness of exercise with fatigue, etc for fibro – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32721388/
2. Articles and Content
a. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11028838/
b. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36051912/
c. https://www.choosept.com/guide/physical-therapy-guide-fibromyalgia

db OrthoPT has begun a radio ad campaign to help promote the practice in Red Bank and Manalapan. We are now running the following live read ads on 107.1 The Boss, Jersey Shore’s #1 Classic Rock station. Click the audio links below to listen to the ads.

https://www.apta.org/news/2022/09/27/consumer-awareness-report?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=221028%20-%20Payment&_zs=OS6fV1&_zl=d2bf8

Research Review _ New Guidelines Support Physical Therapy’s Role in Management of Osteoporosis _ APTA

Our Lincroft office will be moving down the road 1 mile to 331 Newman Springs Road, Red Bank in Dec. 2022.  Attached is a story in the Asbury Park press about the extensive renovations and upgrades happening in the building complex we are moving to!

Healthcare, like most other things these days, isn’t known for being cheap. Healthcare costs have been rising for years. But even in this environment, there are still bargains to be had – like physical therapy.

A study that looked at the claims data of 472,000 Medicare beneficiaries with back pain found that when PT was the first treatment, costs were 19% lower than when people got injections first and 75% lower than for people who were sent straight to surgery. The study also found that in the year following diagnosis, people who got PT first had costs 18% lower than those who got injections, and 54% lower than those in the surgery group.

Another example happened in 2006 when Starbucks sent workers with back pain to see both a physical therapist and physician for their first treatment. Use of MRI dropped by 1/3, people got better faster, missed less work and were more satisfied with their care.

Money isn’t the only thing that physical therapy can save, though. A paper published in Physical Therapy looked at outcomes when patients went to a PT first vs. seeing a physician first for back pain. It found that patients who went to their physician first needed 33 PT visits on average, while those who went to their PT first only needed 20. Seeing a PT first saves money, but it also conserves another valuable resource – time.

People who get a PT early also tend to have better outcomes. A study of 150,000 insurance claims published in Health Services Research, found that those who saw a physical therapist at the first point of care had an 89 percent lower probability of receiving an opioid prescription, a 28 percent lower probability of having advanced imaging services, and a 15 percent lower probability of an emergency department visit.

High quality research consistently shows that taking advantage of direct access and getting to a physical therapist quickly leads to better outcomes in fewer visits with lower costs. Physical therapy proves that even when everything seems to be becoming more expensive, there are still bargains to be found if you know where to look.

Learn about how physical therapy can help you if you are suffering from room spinning, dizziness.  https://youtu.be/VyYRe0MzHp0

A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recently examined the effectiveness of PT vs a steroid injection for Knee Osteoarthritis 1 year later.  Read the summary below:

PT vs injection 1 year after for Knee OA

Effective Sept. 15, 2021, all db OrthoPT physical therapists are now in-network with Aetna Insurance Plans.  Please call today for your appointment.

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The Timing of Receiving Physical Therapy for Patellofemoral Pain Matters!

By: Jessica Deak, PT, DPT

You just received a script from your physician that says, “Diagnosis: Knee pain. Physical therapy (PT) 3x/week for 4 weeks.” What do you do next? Do you start researching local PT offices? Do you wait a few weeks and see if your knee pain gets better with time? Or do you seek out other options such as injections or medications? Unfortunately, the pathway for receiving appropriate care has not always been efficient. A recent study published by Young et al. in 2021 discussed the benefits of seeking physical therapy first, specifically for patellofemoral pain, and how timing truly matters.

Patellofemoral pain is considered pain in the front of the knee, usually around the kneecap (patella) according to the Mayo Clinic. It is sometimes called “runner’s knee,” and is usually more common in people who participate in sports that involve running and jumping. Patellofemoral pain can affect anyone, however, as it has an annual prevalence of approximately 23% in the general population.

This aforementioned study looked at 3 main groups: 1) individuals who went to PT first for an evaluation of their knee pain, 2) individuals who went to a physician to receive a diagnosis, but went to PT 1-30 days after receiving a script, which was considered “early PT,” and 3) individuals who went to a physician to receive a script, but went to PT 31-90 days after receiving a script, which was considered “late PT.”

Many key findings were established from this study. The researchers found that those in the PT first group needed less treatment visits overall, followed by early PT and then late PT. Knee-related care visits were less in the PT first group at two years follow-up. The PT first group also had lower odds of needing radiographs, MRI/CT scan, prescription medications or injections. Thus, seeking PT first resulted in the lowest total future healthcare costs. Going to PT first had better outcomes than early and late PT, but unfortunately, initial contact with a physical therapist as the first provider was less common than receiving a physician referral according to this study.

This is important, as many people do not know that you can see a physical therapist first without needing to see a physician. The law changed in 2003 to allow you to have Direct Access to see a Physical Therapist without a referral. Some insurance plans might require it, but at db Ortho PT, we will find that out when verifying your benefits.

In closing, by initiating physical therapy early on, this can decrease the likelihood of acute patellofemoral pain developing into a chronic issue and will reduce overall healthcare costs. At db Ortho PT, we can guide you towards the path of receiving skilled, thorough care to help speed up your recovery process. We hope that by reading this article, you will not have to think about what to do next when you are experiencing any kind of pain, and you will choose PT first!

Dr. Jessica Deak is a Doctor of Physical Therapy at db Ortho PT of Manalapan, LLC, located at 100 Craig Rd., Suite 108.

Dr. Deak can be reached at 732-462-2162 or via e-mail at jdeak@dborthopt.com. You can also find out more about our practice at dborthopt.com