Routinely checking in with your physical therapist and healthcare provider is a critical step to ensuring successful treatment outcomes and take preventative steps to reduce future injuries, aches, and pains. The good news is that it’s never been easier than now with the rapid advancements in telehealth¹. Telehealth has had a massive impact in how patients and clinicians connect with one another, and now physical therapy patients can reap those same benefits.
Virtual Therapy via Telehealth offers benefits to patients who haven’t connected with a physical therapist in quite some time as well as those who are trying to stick to their treatment program.
For those patients who have been delaying their routine physical therapy treatments due to the pandemic or other extenuating circumstances, telehealth physical therapy offers an opportunity for those patients to connect with their physical therapist on a regular basis from the comfort of their own home. Individuals who haven’t seen a physical therapist in quite some time and are looking to begin some physical activity, checking in with your physical therapist and getting a comprehensive evaluation is a great way of making sure that you’re taking the necessary steps to reduce the likelihood of injury in the future. In addition, consulting with your physical therapist about some of the aches and pains you’re currently experiencing is a great way to make sure that you’re taking steps to prevent them from getting worse.
We’ve outlined some of the key benefits that you can get through routine telehealth physical therapy check-ins.
Nagging injuries or chronic pain costs can add up quickly if you’re not taking steps to alleviate pain and reduce the likelihood of future injuries.
There are additional indirect cost savings that can be associated with routine telehealth physical therapy check-ins. For instance, when you’re connecting with a physical therapist from the comfort of your own home, you don’t spend extra money on gas from commuting back and forth to your physical therapy appointments.
Save money and extra healthcare costs over time by routinely connecting with a physical therapist to get the attention and care you need, when you need it!
Many people only visit their healthcare provider or a physical therapist when they need to due to an injury or nagging pain. With telehealth, one of the great benefits is that you’re only a few clicks away from booking an appointment on your schedule. In many states, you don’t need to get a referral before connecting with a physical therapist.
This means that you can get the care, treatment, and advice you need quickly. Some healthcare providers might even ask that you take additional steps before they can begin recommending treatment programs. With a routine telehealth physical therapy check-in, you can develop a strong relationship with your physical therapist that can help you improve your ability to alleviate your pain faster. When you develop a strong relationship with your physical therapist, you can update them on a regular basis with how you’re feeling, some of the physical activities you’re engaging in, and seek advice and recommendations on ways to decrease your pain and alleviate the pain you’re experiencing faster.
Routinely checking in with your physical therapist can help you take important preventative steps to reduce the likelihood of injury and chronic pain before they become much bigger issues. By connecting with your physical therapist on a regular basis, you can regularly seek feedback and advice on some of the pain and discomfort you’re feeling when performing certain activities, engaging in different forms of exercises, and more.
With the global pandemic keeping all of us inside a lot more, some negative side effects like muscle loss due to inactivity can lead to more serious issues down the line. Getting in touch with your physical therapist and informing them about some of the pain and discomfort you’re feeling is crucial to understanding whether or not an issue could be developing and whether or not a treatment plan needs to be put in place.
Our physical therapists at Results Physiotherapy will perform comprehensive patient evaluations that are designed to identify potential trouble spots, limitations, weaknesses, and other factors that could contribute to the pain and discomfort you’re feeling. In addition, our physical therapists will work with you to identify things that could be contributing to the aches and pains you’re experiencing like the type of exercises, sports, or activities you’re engaging in on a daily basis.
Staying healthy starts with taking preventative steps to identify and reduce the likelihood of injuries before they become worse. Routinely checking in with a physical therapist can help you spot musculoskeletal issues before they become much bigger problems.
Tracking your progress is a crucial step to ensure that you’re on track for a successful physical therapy outcome. When you regularly connect with your physical therapist through routine check-ins, you’re increasing the likelihood that your treatment outcome will be successful. Routine physical therapy check-ins give you additional opportunities to inform your physical therapist about how your body is responding to treatment, highlight concerns you might have regarding treatment, and gives your physical therapist a chance to view your recovery over a longer period of time.
Connecting with your physical therapist regularly can also help your physical therapist out by giving them an opportunity to see if you’re dealing with chronic or acute issues. Your physical therapist will be able to tell over time whether or not your treatment program needs to be adjusted based on whether or not you have recurring issues or acute issues that seemingly arrive and fade in quickly. These personalized care and program adjustments are more effective when you regularly check in with your physical therapist and give them the opportunity to monitor your care and symptoms over long durations of time.
Your physical therapist will be able to determine whether or not you’re making meaningful progress, conditions are getting worse, or if adjustments are needed. Tracking your progress over an extended period of time is a great way to identify areas in which your physical therapy program can be improved to increase its effectiveness.
Checking in with a physical therapist regularly can also help you improve your overall well-being. When you connect with one of our physical therapists at Results, one aspect of care that we provide is making sure that you’re gaining knowledge throughout the process. Part of this education process involves making sure that you’re aware of ways in which you can live a healthier and stronger lifestyle, as well as advise you on how you can reduce or alleviate your symptoms.
Your physical therapist will help educate you throughout your treatment program so you understand why you’re performing or engaging in certain types of exercises, stretches, and self-manual therapy, and self-mobilization techniques.
In addition, your routine telehealth check-ins with your physical therapist help you get useful tips, advice, and knowledge before you begin certain activities. Whether you’re looking to start a new fitness program, line of work, physical activity, or sporting activity, your physical therapist can help educate you on ways in which you can reduce the likelihood of an injury and alleviate the pains you’re experiencing from those activities. As an example, your physical therapist can help instruct you on the proper ways to perform certain activities, exercises, or stretches in those programs to ensure that you’re not setting yourself up for an injury down the road.
Your physical therapist will help educate and guide you to ensure that you’re living an active lifestyle and taking steps to reduce the likelihood of an injury down the road.
You don’t need to live with chronic pain, and routine telehealth physical therapy check-ins give you an opportunity to address and alleviate those aches and pains you’re experiencing. Connecting with your physical therapist on a regular basis can help you get on a treatment program and plan that will help you improve function, address musculoskeletal issues, and significantly decrease the likelihood of an injury in the future. Global estimates report about 1 in 3 people would benefit from musculoskeletal rehab today. With more individuals confined to their homes during the pandemic, telehealth is a great opportunity for you to begin that rehab at your convenience.
Work with a physical therapist today to address those aches and pains you’re experiencing. Schedule an appointment today to connect with one of our physical therapists virtually!
