Physical Therapy vs. Yoga

I'd hoped I would never have to explain the difference between these two, but you would be surprised how many times I get asked this question from members. And for some reason people think it is an either-or thing. Like they either go all in on one or the other, not a healthy mixture of both. So today's post I will explain the differences between the two, the pros and cons of both, and how to successfully put the two together in a daily routine.

Physical Therapy

Let's start here. Physical therapy should mainly be used for people right after an injury. Once you are cleared from surgery or have a diagnosis from a PT, then you start your PT program. Most programs last between six to twelve weeks. That is the general explanation. Now for everyday purposes it is a little different when to go see one and when you can fix the problem yourself. Here is a little story to help figure it out.

My neighbor down the street is 62 years old, she keeps pulling her sciatica, repeatedly. Yet every time she does this, she runs straight to the chiropractor and the PT program a therapist had given her the first time she pulled it. After she does the stretches and sees the chiropractor for about three weeks, and taking it easy, she goes right back into doing what she was doing before. Sometimes doing the PT stretches so she "won't get tight." But the reality is, she made a very bad cycle and can't seem to get herself out of it or even recognize that she is bringing any of this on herself.

You see PT stretches are minute movements to help HEAL whatever injury you have. Now once they either have healed or you have regained your full range of motion: THE PHYSICAL THERAPIST IS DONE. Their stretches are kind of not used for bigger ranges of motion. That is another category and that is a conflict of interest on both sides. At your final PT appointment nine times out of ten they will refer you to start taking up our next topic.

Yoga

Yoga is an entirely different beast all together. It was formed out of a religion in India and then brought to America by this guy and Americanized into what we know yoga as of today. We treat yoga as either a workout or a form of stretching. And both are wrong. So, when should you go to yoga and when is it the right fix for your problem? Yoga is for people who are newly released from physical therapy, they have a diagnosis and they set restrictions on the movements they are allowed to do. Yoga is also for people who are healthy and have no problems at all. The only time yoga is NOT the fix is when you have a "twinge" or "ache" or "spot that hurts" and you don't know what it is. Yoga will not solve any of that. Because yoga teachers are not doctors, we cannot diagnose what is the problem. So throughout class we try and give you stretches to help that area but we're still doing just yoga and not physical therapy.

Yoga is not for diagnosing problems or even your go to place for a problem spot you've had for the past three weeks. Go see a doctor who will refer you to a physical therapist. Alot of yoga stretches are very dramatic and tend to overstretch. Over stretching can aggravate whatever problem you have making it worse and last a lot longer.

So when picking between the two, listen to your body. Know the difference between good pain and something that needs professional attention. Both are very good resources for stretching, but knowing the correct difference and pros and cons of each can dramatically reduce your recovery time. And isn't that what we all want?