If you’ve been told that you’d benefit from physical therapy after an injury or surgery, the prospect of getting set up with a therapist and going through the program can seem daunting. Trust us when we say that it’s not as daunting as it seems, and it can actually be a very physically and mentally rewarding experience when you have the right physical therapist guiding you on your journey. At OrthoRehab Specialists, we believe we can achieve this by practicing a collaborative approach with our patients. We explain why we believe in our collaborative approach and what that entails in today’s blog.
Our Collaborative Approach
In order to get the most out of your physical therapy sessions, both the patient and physical therapist need to work together. That’s the mindset behind our collaborative approach to physical therapy. When both sides are doing everything they can to help the client, that’s when we see the biggest functional improvements.
So what goes into this collaborative approach? Some things we work towards with each client include:
- Open and Honest Communication – It’s very important to have an open and honest line of communication between both parties. We’re going to be very straightforward in what we expect of you, and we hope you’ll hold us to the same standards. If you have questions, please don’t be afraid to ask. Clarifying confusion or explaining why we’re choosing certain therapies can help reinforce why we’re doing what we’re doing, and that can give the client more confidence. Finally, it’s important that you don’t lie about symptoms or your adherence to your physical therapy routine, because that can make it harder for us to best treat you. If you haven’t been performing your home exercises, let us know. We’re not here to judge. We’ll help find a routine that you look forward to.
- Regular Reassessment – Next, we want our patient to know that we’re not just going to provide an assessment at the outset, give them some exercises and then just sit back and relax while they continue through their rehab. We’re constantly reassessing your functional abilities as you progress through your rehab. This way we can adjust what’s not working and add new challenges when you’ve conquered lesser tasks. This also helps us visualize your progress. When we watch you perform your exercises, we’re constantly reassessing your baseline skills so you can get the most out of PT.
- A Meeting Of Minds – Even though you may be assigned a specific physical therapist, we want you to know that our whole team is behind you on your quest to recover. Our therapists are constantly bouncing ideas off one another and sharing ideas to help treat every patient that walks through our door. We coordinate with one another and can also contact your treating physician to pick their brain about some of the best ways to help treat your condition. You may be getting one-on-one training, but know that your therapist’s knowledge of conditions and treatments is sourced from a variety of experienced medical professionals.
- Determining Your Goals – Finally, our collaborative approach involves figuring out exactly what our clients want to get out of their therapy sessions. Maybe they want to get back to competitive sports at a high level, or maybe they simply want to eliminate the back pain that has plagued them for months. If we don’t know what you hope to get out of physical therapy, we can’t provide you with the best treatment possible. We’re going to sit down with you and ask about your goals so that we can get you set up on the path to achieve them.
If you’re interested in taking on a collaborative approach to physical therapy, reach out to OrthoRehab Specialists today.