Annual Check Up

Dentists came up with a brilliant marketing idea: "Your teeth should be checked by a professional twice a year to ensure nothing bad is happening/developing"

Why would this not apply to the rest of our body?

I propose an annual musculoskeletal check up. All your aches and pains, muscle imbalances, movement patterns and an analysis of your goals/performance metrics should be checked by an expert in the field. Here comes part of the problem with this idea: who are the experts? I would argue a physical therapist may be the best answer (pardon my bias as a PT myself). This shift to a preventative model is a novel idea that could save everyone a lot of money (and pain) in the long run. Regrets stink - and while every injury is not avoidable, many of them are. Most problems are so much simpler to avoid than to fix later on.

I am working on an article regarding why PT is likely the most qualified as a general answer. The blurring of professions and fields in the fitness industry and healthcare industry is exciting and very scary all at the same time. We need to make sure the "best" information is getting to the consumer and problems are not getting worse. ["best" is still hotly debated and should involve an evidence based approach]