When you visit a physical therapist for an injury, you typically expect to be provided with a program that includes various exercises, techniques and other treatments intended to reduce your pain and improve your physical abilities. What you may not expect is advice on nutrition and your diet, since physical therapy seems to be more focused on how the body moves. Focusing on patients' physical condition is certainly a big part of physical therapy, and it's for this very reason that some physical therapists are starting to offer nutritional education on top of their regular treatment as a useful tool to improve patients' overall health outcomes. Since what you put into your body will affect how it works and how well it moves, these therapists are realizing that proper nutrition should be considered an essential component of any treatment program.
Learning about nutrition and making changes your diet can result in a bounty of benefits that will improve your health in a number of ways. But there are several conditions associated with pain that can directly benefit from a better diet, including these five:
If you're dealing with any of the conditions listed above along with an injury, your physical therapist may be able to offer some professional advice and education on the role your diet may be playing. By asking you about some of your dietary habits, suggesting that you keep a food diary, and establishing some simple and attainable goals, they can start you on a path to better nutrition and better overall health, which will, in turn, result in a faster recovery from your injury. Following a course that focuses on proper nutrition will also set you up for a better functioning body and a reduced risk for injury in the future.
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