It can get taken for granted that a person is "getting physical therapy." But that's not really how it works. At least not well. With an obvious acute injury, a protocol approach is appropriate. Torn ACL, rotator cuff repair, knee replacement, etc...the injury or procedure is obvious, and certain milestones are expected at regular intervals. Even in these cases, though, there are modifications that need to be made for individual goals and other personal considerations. A cookie cutter exercise program will only get a person so far. I would never hand someone a sheet of exercises and basically say good luck...The body is not a machine that easily heals (read fixes) after going through the motions. Movement is a skill and often requires ongoing assessment and feedback of performance and results.
In the absence of any obvious injury, it is more likely that habits and lifestyle factors/obligations are playing a bigger role in a person's symptoms. In these cases, physical therapy and recovery are a process requiring fine tuning. Which is why we work with our patients one on one. That means no passing you off to an assistant or technician. You only see me, or one of my partners. Whoever you start with, will manage your entire episode of care. That's it. No need to repeat your story every time you get bounced to another person, because that will never happen.
Since we are with you the whole session, it allows us to observe exactly how intervention strategies are affecting your symptoms, and also tease out anything that may be relevant to your symptoms. For example, skill based impairments like poor balance or movement compensations necessitate regular coaching and teaching. I can't do that if I'm working with someone else.
Even with more straight forward things like muscle weakness or joint stiffness, things don't always go to plan. One of my favorite quotes (and I'm not sure who originated it so my apologies to the author) is that, "in theory, theory and practice are the same, in practice they are not." Basically you can plan all you want but sometimes adjustments need to be made if you're not getting the results you expect.
Spending the whole session with you also leaves plenty of time to address questions and concerns you have in regards to your symptoms and care in general. If you are looking for a more personalized method of therapy, we are the place for you. Let us know how we can help by calling or texting us at your convenience.
