Obesity is a complex and widespread health challenge that impacts millions of people worldwide. Some physical therapists offer customized solutions for patients with obesity, based on orders from a doctor or orthopedist.
Specialized physical therapy services for obesity can help with obesity management by addressing the physical limitations and challenges that often accompany excess weight. Physical therapists create tailored programs that improve mobility, reduce pain, and promote sustainable activity levels, helping patients take control of their health.
In this article, we’ll discuss how physical therapy can help with obesity management, and where it falls short:
What does physical therapy have to do with obesity management?
As we discussed in our article on physical therapy and weight loss, some physical therapists offer specialized services to aid in the process of lowering the amount of adipose tissue on a patient’s frame, typically in preparation for a surgery or for some other specific health reason.
We’re big fans of therapists that offer these services, because they can help you with the particulars of whatever musculoskeletal issues you’re having in conjunction with being overweight.
Remember, obesity is more than just a number on a scale; it’s a condition that can significantly impact your quality of life, mobility, and overall health. Carrying excess weight puts additional strain on joints, muscles, and the cardiovascular system, often leading to joint pain, decreased mobility, and chronic conditions like arthritis, diabetes, or heart disease.
This is where a specialized physical therapy service would come in:
Physical therapy for obese patients requires some tweaks
When assisting a patient in managing obesity, we want to start by educating them about what physical therapy can do for them, and what it can’t. Once the patient is armed with good information, we encourage them to take a holistic approach to their obesity management journey.
In other words, we encourage them to hire professional help in the areas of life that will need the biggest overhauls, rather than trying to treat a single thing as a silver bullet.
What physical therapy can help with
- Physical therapists are experts at developing low-imact exercise programs that meet patients where they are. Some physical trainers may be able to do this, but not as well as a trained and licensed physical therapist.
- Physical therapy can provide great accountability for getting into a gym and getting some physical activity done. This can go a long way towards meeting the physical activity guidelines for Americans.
- Physical therapy can offer creative modifications to exercises in real-time based on how your body responds.
- We can address mobility restrictions, aches and pains, and movement pattern dysfunctions that will ultimately make your weight loss journey smoother, more enjoyable, and more successful.
Remember, our ultimate goal is that you would be able to arrive at a healthier bodyweight and stay there over the long term. Crash diets are out of the question – we want you as functional and pain-free as possible so you can continue to complete and enjoy your program moving forward.
Where physical therapy falls short
- We can offer some diet advice, but we aren’t dieticians or nutritionists. For pro-level diet advice, seek the help of a dietician.
- Physical therapy can assist with mental health concerns, but we aren’t mental health professionals. If you need outside help, like therapy, medications, or IOP programs, it’s best to seek these treatment options directly from folks whose job it is to provide them.
- Physical therapy doesn’t last forever – you’ll eventually need to transition onto a more regular exercise routine. As you become more functional, mobile, and strong, this need will be better met by a personal trainer.
Benefits of physical therapy for obesity
Now that we’ve talked our way out of a job, let’s discuss the particular benefits of partnering with a physical therapist during your obesity management journey:
Though we wouldn’t say physical therapists directly “treat” obesity, we help indirectly by creating a treatment plan that is both feasible for the patient and useful in addressing functional issues as they arise (such as mobility restrictions, preexisting pain, or pain that arises from the process of being acclimated to new exercises).
This is why we’re big fans of using a physical therapy treatment plan during the weight loss process, and the benefits are even more dramatic for patients that need to lose a lot of weight:
Pain management
This is a big benefit. Obesity comes with a lot of complications, and chronic pain is one of the primary ones.
Note that obesity, on it’s own doesn’t cause chronic pain. However, the combination of carrying excess weight with muscular weakness resulting from a sedentary lifestyle leads to pain for many people.
Excess weight often contributes to chronic pain, especially in the knees, hips, and lower back. Physical therapists use techniques like manual therapy, stretching, and strengthening exercises to reduce pain and improve joint health.
Improved mobility and function
As we alluded to above, coming out of obesity often reveals many mobility restrictions and functional issues that you may have only been vaguely aware of before.
If you’re already in physical therapy, then you’re well set up to address any joint stiffness, muscle weakness, and movement restrictions directly in the clinic. The benefit of this effect is that your mobility improvements will compound as you lose weight, allowing you to more effectively complete your exercises and the tasks of your daily life.
Education and lifestyle guidance
One of our primary functions as physical therapists is to educate our patients on the implications of their conditions, the process of getting better, and what they need to know to stay healthy over the long haul.
Though you may ascertain useful information on diet and weekly exercise routines from nutritionists and personal trainers, physical therapists can educate you on the particulars of posture, body mechanics, and safe ways to incorporate movement into your daily life as you become more and more healthy.
What to focus on: Physical therapy exercises for obese patients
For patients with obesity, we like to focus on a few core areas in our exercise programs. With weight loss being the central element of the plan, we focus on:
- Gentle aerobic exercises in the right dosage (walking, stationary cycling, hand biking, aquatic therapy, etc.)
- Balance and stability training to both improve balance and also ensure the patient remains stable as their body changes
- Gentle strength training using resistance bands, body weight, or light dumbbells to begin to reverse the negative effects of low muscle mass
- Stretching and flexibility exercises to improve function in the positions of daily living and to reduce the chance of injury
The overarching framework for our program will be on assisting you in meeting the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans:
- 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical exercise OR 75 minutes of vigorous intensity physical exercise per week.
- Two days of muscle-strengthening activity per week.
Physical Therapy for Obese Patients Preparing for Surgery
As mentioned above, the most common use case for physical therapy in obesity management is in preparation for a surgery. This effort is generally referred to as “prehabilitation” (see our full article on physical therapy in preparation for surgery here).
Knowing that a patient will have to recover after the surgery, we make a concerted effort to get the patient into better shape beforehand so they run a lower risk of injury and dysfunction afterwards:
- Improve strength and mobility before surgery
- Reduce surgical risks by enhancing cardiovascular health
- Build confidence and establish healthy movement patterns that will be critical for post-surgery recovery
- Establish a relationship with the patient so that the transition into physical therapy after surgery is smooth
Note that ideally, you’d have physical therapy before and after surgery.
A long-term solution
We often discuss with our patients that the primary advantage of physical therapy is that it is a long-term solution. In obesity management, this is exactly what we want. Losing weight is hard, and losing a lot of weight requires a long-term commitment.
What’s more, setting a patient up to keep the weight off over the long haul is really what we’re going for. Physical therapy, by its nature, is a short-term (read: few month) setup for a long-term result.
If you’re struggling with obesity or looking for ways to safely incorporate movement into your life, physical therapy can be a transformative step. Reach out to a qualified physical therapist today and take the first step toward a healthier, more active lifestyle.
