Is Physical Therapy Holistic Medicine?

We have often mentioned that we believe one of the primary benefits of physical therapy is that it’s a holistic approach to wellness. These days, “holistic” can be a bit of a buzzword, so we thought we’d take a moment to explain exactly what we mean when we refer to physical therapy as holistic:

Physical therapy takes a holistic approach by addressing not just the symptoms but also the underlying causes of pain, movement limitations, and dysfunction. Therapists consider the whole person, including lifestyle, posture, strength, and mobility, to create personalized treatment plans that promote long-term wellness.

By integrating hands-on techniques (manual therapy), exercise, and patient education, physical therapy supports overall health and prevents future injuries.

What do we mean by “holistic”

The term “holistic” is applied to any approach that considers the whole person rather than isolating a single issue. In medicine and wellness, this means addressing physical, emotional, and lifestyle factors in tandem with each other.

The assumption is that no matter how well we treat one factor, a person won’t be able to reach full healing until we pay attention to all of them.

A concrete example would be a patient who is suffering from back pain (an extremely common complaint in our sitting-centric world!). While we could easily skip past lifestyle factors and begin to address the patient’s core-strength weaknesses, we’d experience little success unless we also asked enough questions to answer:

  • Is the patient simply not sleeping enough, and therefore unable to rest and recover from their day? (See our full article on physical therapy and sleep)
  • Is their tiredness contributing to bad posture, which is exacerbating their pain?
  • Is it possible that the reason that the patient isn’t sleeping well is because they are stressed about meeting stringent deadlines at work?
  • Do they have some generalized depression going on as a result of their chronic stress?

As you can see, this hypothetical patient’s back pain may simply be the proverbial “tip of the iceberg.” Strengthening their core may contribute to reduced pain, but they won’t truly recover unless they reduce their stress and handle their mental and emotional health as well.

If we simply relied on helping the patient experience relief through medications or surgeries, then we may end up in a situation where the causes of their problem goes unaddressed and they never feel as though a solution has been reached.

We do consider physical therapy to be holistic

Though it could be argued that “holistic physical therapy” is a separate specialty, we tend to believe that physical therapy is a generally holistic approach on its own.

In your physical therapy evaluation, a good physical therapist will ask all sorts of questions with the potential to affect your physical health, not necessarily just related to your pain. We want to know:

  • Do you sit a lot at work?
  • How is your sleep posture?
  • How soundly do you sleep, and for how many hours?
  • How is your diet?
  • Would your pain be lowered if you used physical therapy to lose weight?
  • Are there emotional stressors in your life that may be contributing to your pain?

Since we know that pain is an emotional experience resulting from actual or perceived tissue damage, we must take into account factors that could potentially contribute.

What physical therapists are not

Despite the fact that we may ask about all of the areas above, it’s important for us to acknowledge (and for patients to understand!) that we aren’t counselors, dietitians, sleep specialists, or mental health professionals. We are physical therapists.

In other words, we stay in our lane of expertise, while providing suggestions (and often referrals) to patients who may need outside help.

We think we speak for much of the physical therapy community here, but we are generally connected to other medical professionals in our communities. If a patient’s physical recovery process could be supplemented by weight loss counseling, a generalized physical activity plan, improved sleep, or emotional help, we’ll happily provide those referrals.

Physical therapy treats more than just symptoms

As we mentioned above, this is one of the biggest advantages that physical therapy has. Because we look at the problem holistically, we’re able to address underlying issues that cause pain to reemerge over time, often helping patients recover from chronic pain or nagging issues they’ve had for years.

The other benefit of this approach is that the solutions are long-lasting. As we’ve discussed in our article on finishing physical therapy, we always leave patients with a detailed discharge plan that includes next steps to maintain and build on their progress for years to come.

After all, if our efforts weren’t effective in preventing future reinjury and improving overall function, then what would be the point?

Holistic care means better recovery and prevention

Physical therapy’s holistic approach sets it apart as a powerful tool for recovery, injury prevention, and overall well-being. By addressing not just symptoms but the root causes of pain and movement limitations, physical therapists help patients achieve long-term results.

Whether you’re recovering from an injury, managing a chronic condition, or simply looking to move better, physical therapy provides a comprehensive solution tailored to your needs. Investing in this whole-body approach means taking a step toward lasting health, mobility, and a better quality of life.

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