The course includes physical therapy leaders such as ATI and Ivy Rehab to establish clinician fluency of evidence-based nutrition in patient and client management and musculoskeletal outcomes.
March 20, 2023 [New York, NY] – mend™, a life sciences company operating at the intersection of nutrapharma and digital behavioral health,joinswith the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) to advance nutrition education for physical therapists in the United States. With the growing body of published scientific evidence supporting the importance of utilizing nutrition in patient and client care, APTA has recognized nutrition as a component of physical therapy professional scope of practice.
“As direct access providers, physical therapists must be armed with knowledge around nutrition as a preventive and restorative component to one’s physical health and healing,” says Eziah Syed, Co-Founder and CEO of mend. “We are excited to be part of advancing education around the topic to this area of the medical community.”
More leading national physical therapy practices are beginning to incorporate nutrition into their treatments. With physical therapy often prescribed to patients post-surgery or following an injury, and because nutrition can help to enhance healing and recovery, the two go hand-in-hand when considering treatment.
“APTA is pleased to work with experts to offer this new APTA Learning Center course on the screening and education of patients and clients in the areas of nutrition,” says Tara Jo Manal, PT, DPT, FAPTA, Senior Vice President, Scientific Affairs, APTA. “The course will provide evidence-based nutrition information that will empower physical therapists to help improve patient outcomes.”
"Lifestyle related medicine like nutrition represents an untapped opportunity for physical therapy to further establish PT as the best choice to avoid unnecessary opioids and imaging through a whole person approach that improves outcomes for patients with musculoskeletal conditions,” says Charles Thigpen PhD, PT, ATC, SVP Clinical Excellence, ATI Physical Therapy (NYSE: ATIP). “ATI is excited to help bring this course to equip clinicians with the knowledge and tools to embrace forward thinking, preventive solutions like nutrition and lifestyle medicine that promotes long lasting recovery from the pain and disability associated with musculoskeletal conditions.”
"Nutrition guidance and lifestyle-related medicine are under-utilized tools that physical therapistscould routinely incorporate into assessments, interventions, and patient education.As we focus on treating the whole person, the impact of lifestyle has to be an important component of the conversation. Across the spectrum of care, from managing systemic inflammation, chronic pain and post-operative outcomes to enhancing performance in elite athletes, we need to be better equipped with knowledge surrounding evidence-based nutritional science,"says Holly Lookabaugh-Deur PT, DSc, GCS, CEEAA, CES and Director of Clinical Excellence, Ivy Rehab.
