It's here! National Physical Therapy Month runs through October. It's a time to celebrate the physical therapy profession, spotlight the many benefits of physical therapy, and show how physical therapists and physical therapist assistants provide patient-centered care that delivers true value and improves the health of society. This year, National Physical Therapy Month is supported by HPSO.

This year, APTA members and supporters of the profession have a new resource to help them spread the message: "The Economic Value of Physical Therapy in the United States." This recently published landmark report from APTA lays out an approach to calculating the value of a physical therapist intervention in ways that go beyond simply comparing short-term costs, and then applies that approach to eight conditions.

Using the report as a centerpiece, APTA has rolled out a large-scale campaign aimed at sharing the findings with consumers, policymakers, and payers — and helping its members do the same. A full suite of resources available at APTA’s Economic Value of Physical Therapy in the United States website offers access to not only the report but separate condition analyses, a background on methodology, FAQs, and policy papers designed to help payers and policymakers better understand the report and how to leverage its findings. In addition, members are encouraged to use campaign resources to increase public awareness of the report's findings — offerings include infographics, social media graphics, a promotional video, and more.

APTA also rolled out a new APTA Public Relations and Marketing Center, which houses a wide range of graphics, handouts, and more covering the findings of the new report, National Physical Therapy Month, and the many symptoms and conditions PTs treat — all branded to align with APTA's consumer website ChoosePT.com

APTA is also reaching out to the public through the media. Those efforts include an upcoming satellite media tour that will provide television and radio stations access to one-on-one interviews with an APTA spokesperson on physical therapy's role in helping to manage osteoarthritis, and an APTA-sponsored editorial piece, "Choose to Move: 5 Ways to Help Manage Osteoarthritis" that has already been published in several media outlets.

And did we mention the ad in Times Square?

Stay tuned for even more public relations outreach announcements in the coming days and weeks.

With the word getting out on the value of physical therapy, now's also the perfect time to create or update your profile on Find a PT, the directory available to consumers on ChoosePT.com. The website receives millions of visits each year, and Find a PT allows users to search for a PT and filter results by location, practice focus, or specialization. Take advantage of this member benefit for physical therapists. View the instructions and update (or create) your Find a PT Profile today.

You play an important role in someone’s health. How are you celebrating National Physical Therapy Month? Let us know using the hashtag #PTmonth and #ChoosePT, and follow APTA's social media channels to keep up with more ways to get involved this year. ChoosePT is on Facebook and X; APTA is on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Question? Contact APTA's Public and Media Relations staff.