I went to an interview once for a Physical Therapy position. I was pretty excited, actually. Large company, high compensation, room for growth (everything a new physical therapist wants).
Then I was led through the company. One station was for warm-up. Another station was for ultrasound. Another for exercise. One for ice.
I felt like I was at the DMV.
Personalization in Health Care
When a patient walks into my clinic, it’s a new day. A new experience. What we worked on together Monday may have been perfect then, but today will be different. Oh, it would be so much easier to follow a formula and a script and stay on course. But we all know we feel different every day, maybe due to lack of sleep, or arthritis pain from weather changes, or from a hard workout.
Try adding chemotherapy, radiation, mastectomy or reconstruction, or hormone blockers for cancer treatment. Healing changes day to day, nausea and neuropathy (tingling or numbness in your hands or feet, a common side effect of some treatments) varies hour to hour, and you may feel pain or stretching or tingling or weakness during recovery.
Physical Therapy Should Not be Static
Our bodies are not static. They change and move, and so should physical therapy.
If you’re having physical therapy as you recovery from injury, overuse, or breast cancer treatment, make sure you are heard. Make sure your therapist asks you daily:
- “How are you today?”
- “Are we meeting your goals?”
- “What has changed since we last saw you?”
Life changes. Be proactive. Make sure your physical therapy changes with you.
PT of Costa Rican National Soccer Team for 2007 World Cup in Victoria, CAN. Clinical Instructor for University of Minnesota Doctor of Physical Therapy Affiliations
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