Here at CAM Physical Therapy and Wellness Services, our primary goal is to improve your overall health with various treatments and other suggestions. So although the bulk of our focus revolves around addressing injuries and painful conditions, we also want to see our patients care for themselves and take advantage of certain healthcare measures. With this in mind, our Laurel physical therapists would like to remind our patients that getting the flu vaccine is very important, and it’s still not too late to do so this season.

Influenza, which is usually referred to as “the flu,” is a serious respiratory illness caused by a virus, and it affects 5-20% of the population every year. When infected by the flu, individuals experience symptoms such as coughing, a fever, headache, sore throat and a runny nose, which can last for 1-2 weeks. The flu is also highly contagious and capable of leading to more serious illnesses, including pneumonia, if it keeps progressing.

During flu season, the virus circulates at higher levels in the population than throughout the rest of the year. Although it varies from year to year, flu season in the U.S. generally starts at some point in October and lasts until April or even May; however, the majority of flu cases usually occur between December and February, which means we are currently right in the heart of flu season.

This also means that if you haven’t gotten the flu or the flu vaccine yet, you should go ahead and get vaccinated as soon as possible. The flu vaccine is our main defense against the virus, and although it doesn’t guarantee you won’t get the flu, it will significantly reduce your chances. You may have heard a good deal of information—as well as misinformation—regarding the flu vaccine, but our Laurel physical therapists would like to clear up any misconceptions for you here with some essential flu-related facts:

Essential flu vaccine-related facts from Laurel physical therapists

• The flu vaccine is made up of an inactivated virus that helps you build antibodies to protect you from it; so the vaccine cannot cause the flu, as some mistakenly claim
• Getting vaccinated reduces the chances of seeing your doctor by 50-60%
• The vaccine has one of the best safety records of all vaccinations and the majority of side effects are mild, such as soreness at the site of the injection
• Getting a vaccine is quick, easy and inexpensive; vaccines are available at many drugstores, major retailers and clinics, and are often free or very low-cost
• One vaccine can prevent both an expecting mother and her newborn from the flu
• A vaccine is recommended for those six months and older every year because flu viruses are constantly changing, which means the vaccine is reviewed and updated each year; so even if you got one last year, you should still get vaccinated

As you can see, there are plenty of good reasons to get a flu vaccine, and very few reasons not to. Follow the advice of our Laurel physical therapists to get vaccinated now, and increase your chances of making it through the flu season sick-free. For any other injuries or lingering pain you may be experiencing, contact CAM Physical Therapy and Wellness Services at 301-853-0093 to schedule an appointment at any of our four clinics in Laurel, Hyattsville, Glenn Dale/Bowie or Parkville/Baltimore, MD, or click here for more information on the flu vaccine.