“I hated physical therapy”
“Physical therapists or physical terrorists?”
“I tried PT and it didn’t work”
“As soon as I stopped PT, I started hurting again.”
Let's reimagine physical therapy.
-DURING REHAB:
At MBody You, my goal is to reinvent the way we think about physical therapy. Your physical therapist should be your copilot, your teammate, your coach, and your confidant, and physical therapy should improve your quality of life. While you may have “homework” or “home exercises” to do, you should feel empowered that what your PT is recommending will substantially improve your ability to experience life.
Here are some things that should NOT be happening:
You don’t feel listened to
You have 78 exercises to do every day
You have 0 exercises to do every day
Your exercises are not activity- or sport- specific
No one has discussed root causes with you
No one has discussed self-management techniques or long-term solutions with you
You leave every session in significantly more pain
You have not noticed any improvement in 4+ weeks
You do not understand the goals or purpose of your exercises
You feel like you can’t ask questions
Your physical therapy experience should be PATIENT-CENTERED. It should be fun, motivating, and challenging. Some of the healthcare experiences, physical therapy included, that I’ve heard from patients still blow my mind. While your healthcare provider has gone through extensive schooling and training for your particular issue, that does not mean that you don’t get a say-so.
-DURING PREHAB:
Ever heard of it? Prehab involves maintenance, wellness, or preventative services. There is substantial data that shows that seeing a PT before undergoing imaging or surgery can decrease healthcare costs. Decreasing healthcare costs is something that we can all agree on. Why, then, do we as a society not use this to our advantage?!
We see a dentist 1+ a year preventatively so that we don’t have to spend a bunch of money on root canals. We see our primary physician once a year to screen for potential chronic disease so that we don’t have to spend a bunch of money on heart attacks or diabetes. Why isn’t it the norm to see a physical therapist once a year to avoid spending a bunch of money on preventative surgeries?
Let’s change that!
At MBody You, we offer physical therapy annuals, where you will receive a full evaluation and plan of care to work on your “weak” spots. If you want to work on it on your own, we have options for that. If you need a little more guidance and want mobile or telehealth treatment sessions, we have options for that, too! We’re only as strong as our weakest link! By objectively learning our deficits and setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) goals to improve them, you will be able to play with your kids with less pain, become more active or fit, or lift your bag into the overhead bin without your shoulder pinching.
Want to live more actively and fiercely? Get in touch with us!
As always, play on!
MB