Eating Disorders

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Physical Therapy and Eating Disorders

While unhealthy exercise behaviors are often part of the problem, emphasizing healthy movement and strength through physical therapy can be a valuable intervention in eating disorder treatment and recovery.

Unlike other mental health disorders, eating disorders have a high prevalence of parallel medical complications that can impair mobility and challenge engagement in everyday activities. Many patients with severe eating disorders
find themselves too weak to get out of bed. Some are wheelchair bound, some may experience frequent falls, while others lack the strength to engage in basic self-care and the activities of daily living. Climbing stairs is challenging, and others find they can no longer lift their toddlers or pick up their kids’ toys. So often, mobility limitations and weakness are the catalysts that compel a patient to seek treatment.

Physical therapy helps patients with severe eating disorders address life-limiting strength and mobility issues
that result from their illness. Recovery benefits include restoration of physical function and the ability to engage
in both treatment and the activities of daily life, as well as improved psychological well-being.

THE ULTIMATE GOALS OF PHYSICAL THERAPY IN EATING DISORDER TREATMENT ARE TO HELP PATIENTS:

  • Improve physical function through education and skilled interventions
  • Reclaim, embody and strengthen their bodies to support psychological
    well-being and improved body experience

Healthy movement results in increased treatment compliance, improved therapeutic relationship, decreased food preoccupation, decreased bulimic symptoms and decreased negative exercise behaviors with supervised exercise

Supervised physical therapy might increase weight in anorexia nervosa patients. Aerobic exercise, massage, basic body awareness therapy and yoga might reduce eating pathology in patients with anorexia and bulimia nervosa

Exercise and physical therapy help restore body and self in clients with severe anorexia nervosa, including positive changes in posture, flexibility, muscle tension and respiration, and possibly supporting increased concentration, mental awareness and enduring psychological stress

In addition to physical therapy, we also offered specialized nutrition