The internet has allowed humans to be more connected than ever. Distance from a provider shouldn't limit anyone from obtaining high quality, physical therapy and professional guidance to reach their physical goals. Now you might be thinking to yourself, how is a
physical therapist going to help my pain, stiffness, or weak muscles without putting their hands on me?
Great question.
While physical touch and manual therapy provide insight and can be used as a valuable treatment modality, they are often the appetizer to the main course of a meal.
Just like a person won't be satisfied with hors d'oeuvres for every meal, a person in pain or struggling from physical limitations will only be helped so much solely focusing on manual therapy.
It only fills you up to a certain point. To truly satisfy hunger, a big meal is better suited for the job. Now I don't want this commentary to carry a negative connotation, a great appetizer (manual therapy) can magnify a gustatory experience (episode of physical therapy care). However, I do want to bring attention to the reverse situation - when starving, any food will do.
So while skipping on manual therapy you may be passing up on an appetizer, you're still getting the main entree in the form of identification of specific relevant factors, professional guidance, education, and habit change. We're essentially teaching you how to fish, rather than serving it on a silver platter.
Now again, you might be thinking to yourself - this all sounds great, but how can you assess what my body is doing and more importantly what is wrong without being next to me, in person, to test things directly? The reality is that many orthopedic tests are not all that specific or sensitive in their diagnoses. A lot of subjectivity is involved. However, the laws of physics and biomechanics still apply, even remotely.
A sound understanding of these physical principles allows us to zero in on any specific problem areas. Utilizing the principles of anatomy and physiology, as well as your symptom response, will guide our decision making accordingly to help you achieve your physical goals.
To summarize here is a comparison of the trade-off between in-person and telehealth physical therapy:
If you or someone you know can benefit from being seen remotely, don't hesitate to reach out!