Health&Fitness People generally know what to expect from their hairdresser, masseuse or cosmetologist. However, many people don’t know what they should expect from a physical therapist. This confusion is easily explained: most people do not have enough experience with physical therapy. Historically, physical therapists have mostly worked with people after severe injuries so the majority of people would never get to see a physical therapist. People only recently began to realize that physical therapists successfully treat variety of musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, including various painful conditions of back, neck, shoulder, knee, ankle, foot and hand. In fact, physical therapists are the providers of choice for the conditions that do not require surgery. Physical therapy provides a safe and effective alternative to medications and greatly improves people’s quality of life.
So, how does a person who never had physical therapy before know how to choose and what to expect from physical therapy?
A recommendation from a friend or a family member is probably the most trustworthy source of information in this matter. If you don’t have anybody who can recommend a good place, ask your doctor. Now, what questions should your ask your doctor? For example, you can ask:
How long does he know this physical therapy place?
Does he get good reviews from other patients about their experience in PT?
Does this clinic produce consistent results in treating various conditions?
Let’s say that you can’t get these answers from your doctor and you have no friends or family members who can recommend. Your next step is to call various physical therapy clinics and interview them or, better yet, stop by and speak to them face to face.
Here are the questions you should ask (and answers you should expect):
1. How many patients does one therapist treat at the same time?
The only acceptable answer is “one.” If it’s “two or more,” most likely you will not get the care you need to achieve best results for your problem. One of the most common (and, unfortunately, industrywide) reactions to ever-declining insurance reimbursement is to schedule several patients with the therapist at the same time. Needless to say, this severely reduces the quality of care and robs patients of results they need. Most people need individualized attention and handson care.
2. Is all of the treatment provided by licensed therapists? Again, as a “solution” to reduced reimbursement and in an effort to cut costs, some clinics utilize unlicensed aides to perform exercises with patients and administer physical therapy treatments such as ultrasound. This practice not only hurts the patients but also violates the legal standards of care set forth by the State Board of Physical Therapy.
Physical therapy aides can be utilized only for the tasks not involving patients’ treatment, such as bringing hot and cold packs, changing the rooms between the patients and preparing the affected area for electrical stimulation and ultrasound treatments.
3.Will hands-on (manual) therapy be a big part of my treatment?
When therapists are forced to see more than one patient at the same time (and sometimes this can be three or four patients at the same time), something’s gotta give! And because manual therapy takes time, it gets dropped.Also, unfortunately, the current trend is to look down at some aspects of manual therapy such as therapeutic massage.The truth is, without manual therapy, most patients do not achieve the results they need and want. Therapeutic massage is not a luxury used only for relaxation in a spa.When used by highly skilled rehabilitation specialists, it provides numerous benefits such as reducing spasms, helping to realign bones and vertebrae, increasing blood flow to the injured area thus speeding up the healing process and much more. Other manual therapy techniques, such as gentle mobilization of the joints and myofascial release, are also necessary for a complete and speedy recovery.
If you decide to visit the clinic, try to talk to other patients to find out their experience in physical therapy.You can also ask for former patients’ success stories.
You deserve the best care and attention. Be proactive, use your judgment, and don’t settle for substandard care and mediocre results.
Michael Sheynin is a physical therapist and a co-owner of Free Motion Rehabilitation Center. He can be reached at 732-901-8844. For more information, visit www.freemotionrehab.com.