Transforming Society through Physical Therapy

| Dr. Jessica Berglund

Just over a month after the American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting (APTA CSM) 2017, I can still feel the energy and enthusiasm from the 14,000 therapists who joined me in attending the now largest physical therapy conference in the nation. It was clear from the conversations I had and the presentations I attended that the profession of physical therapy is truly striving to transform society. As we aim to impact the population, our profession will also need to transform.

The Social Ecological Model which was depicted in several presentations I attended, demonstrates the various levels of interventions that physical therapists and physical therapy assistants can provide. Although our traditional 1:1 sessions will always be a significant portion of our profession, organization and community level interventions are needed to allow us to influence more individuals. In addition to transforming how we practice, it was evident that as a profession we also need to revolutionize what we include in our daily practice to guide those we interact with towards healthier lifestyles for improved quality of life. As direct access and primary care practitioners, we must be assessing, educating, intervening and referring in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and weight management, sleep, and smoking cessation. With the population being laden with chronic disease, it is almost guaranteed that at least one if not every single one of the people we treat daily need guidance, counseling or motivation to engage in those healthy behaviors. Intervention for and education about healthy behaviors goes hand in hand with transcending the typical 1:1 sessions to population level prevention and health promotion interventions. Imagine if we could prevent damage, disease, disability, dependence and death? Imagine if we could prevent the loss of participation in social roles and quality of life instead of trying to rehab it after the fact? What if we intervened with people who didn’t have impairments yet?

The goal is to make those visions a reality and truly transform our society to one of health, participation and prosperity. The conversation and movement towards prevention, health promotion and wellness in physical therapy has started and was ignited at CSM 2017. Log on to the APTA website and check out the new Prevention and Health Promotion Community that is open to all 97,000 members. Join the conversation, connect, learn, and help us advance the profession of physical therapy: http://communities.apta.org/p/co/ly/gid=182

At Live Your Life we offer physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, personal training, acupuncture, massage therapy, health coaching and dietary services.

Health and Happiness,

Dr. Jessica Berglund
Doctor of Physical Therapy

Live Your LifeTM
Bringing Physical Therapy & Wellness to You!

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Dr. Jessica Berglund is a passionate and enthusiastic person and practitioner who truly believes that exercise is medicine! She spent her educational career at St. Catherine University, graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science in Exercise Science in 2011 and with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2013. She has experience treating a wide variety of patients and strives to use health, wellness and prevention to help each patient achieve their life goals. Her knowledge, passion and enthusiasm will inspire you to pursue your goals and change your life! Learn more about our services by visiting our website.

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