Losing weight is hard, especially if you’re one of the 31.9% of Americans categorized by the CDC as obese. If that’s you, then chances are that you will find yourself avoiding exercise due to pain from your back, neck, shoulder, hips, knees, or ankles. As a result, losing weight by dieting alone will become even more difficult. That’s because losing weight without regular exercise will reduce your daily calorie allowances by 10-25%, and your diet will be harder to follow.
Physical therapists see hundreds of obese patients. They all have unique challenges with physical rehabilitation and overcoming joint pain (foot, ankle, knee, hip, back, and neck). Also, most injured or post-surgical patients think of physical therapists for helping to restore movement, but for obese people, physical therapy can be much more than that. In addition to dealing with restoring mobility and range of motion, your physical therapist has a world of expertise and experience with adapting rehab exercises to begin producing a training effect.
