I’m turning 70 next spring and I find it incredulous that I am still learning new things about the world. I’ve always been curious, and I have a mental file cabinet that goes back decades, crammed with millions of unrelated tidbits about the world around me. How did I ever miss the world of physical therapy?

I had a round of physical therapy ten years ago after wrist surgery. I remember the challenge of moving my fingers around a piece of grey putty until, over weeks, I recovered the memory of movement.

Physical therapy was crucial to my recovery from an accident, but it never occurred to me that physical therapy could be used to prevent future problems.

I sought out a physical therapist again when I was in my mid-60s after my right knee gave out after long hikes — and steep descents — in Alaska. A few clamshell exercises later, I was able to hike again.

It dawned on me that a trip to the physical therapist is necessary, like the 3,000-mile check-in for your automobile. A way to keep the parts moving.

The health insurance and medical care specialists now see that physical therapy allows people to be more active and to remain at home, able to do basic life activities. Medicare covers the treatment, usually based on a medical referral, with the goal to “help improve or maintain your current function, or slow decline.”

I am very familiar with slow decline. I see it when I have trouble opening anew jar and my inner voice tells me to strengthen my upper body. I’ve acted on that inner voice and have a variety of at-home routines with weights, bands, and rollers that I may put to good use until my attention wanders and my aching joints return, making it hard to get comfortable at night.

This past year, a sore shoulder, hip, and knee limited movement on the right side of my body, and a lack of flexibility made it awkward to get off the floor or into some yoga poses. I didn’t know how to choose the right exercises to address my growing aches and pains so I started a round of visits with an orthopedist. She diagnosed moderate arthritis in my knee and a fraying rotator cuff — and I was off on a physical therapist odyssey to strengthen and protect my flagging body parts.

I love how the physical therapists know just the right muscles to activate to relief joint pain and strengthen muscles. I like the challenge of pushing myself and I like conforming to the demands of daily at-home practice. I keep at it because I know I need discipline to get through the next two or more decades!

At the physical therapy practice where I am strengthening my quad and glute muscles, at least half of the patients are in their 60s or older. They are part of the growing number of older people who are seeking physical therapy services.

I see people who are addressing issues with their posture and fine-tuning their balance by standing atop a foam cushion on one leg. I do that exercise, too. I’m not convinced that it will correct the lack of coordination I’ve experienced since childhood, but I know it will give me a fighting chance to keep my equilibrium intact.

Just four visits to the physical therapist last month, eliminated the hip painthat got me out of bed in the morning, eager to start moving around to relieve the tension. As an added bonus, now my newly-toned leg muscles should also relieve the pressure on my arthritic knee.

The trick for me will be to keep doing the beneficial exercises at home. Amid life’s demands, it’s easy to let the practice slip over time. But I likely can count on having new aches appear and when they do, I hope I can get a another referral to PT.