Generally speaking, people who work in rehabilitation treatment centers are very nice. The physical therapists work every day with patients confined to hospital, nursing homes, outpatient clinics and schools. Many PTs will attend to their patients in their homes if they are unable to travel to the rehabilitation treatment centers.
When you know you need to have physical therapy, there are a few things that you should consider doing to make sure the therapist and the rehabilitation treatment centers where they work are a good fit.
Not every therapist is a perfect match with every patient. Certainly the PT will be pleasant, but there may be a feeling that the two of you are simply “not clicking.”There are also times when you really must find a different therapist or clinic.
No rapport:
When you take physical therapy, you and your therapist need to feel there is a therapeutic alliance that will help you feel better and move easier, with less pain. You do not have to become BFFs with your therapist, but you should feel very comfortable and that a positive therapeutic relationship exists. It’s not necessary to have this rapport, but if you find after a couple of sessions that you can’t even remember the therapists name, odds are something is not clicking and it may be time to change therapists.
The therapist does not listen:
Rehabilitation treatment centers have developed certain methods of treatment, although they may not be really biased, there is a tendency to stay close to these methods and ideas. Although the methods may generally be workable, they may not be exactly right for you. If this is the case, talk to the therapist about changing the program or the treatment methods. If the therapist is unwilling to change a bit to help you, then perhaps you should find another clinic.
Hard to get an appointment:
If you have to wait weeks to see a therapist, you definitely need to find another one. Studies show that conditions like lower back pain and shoulder pain respond well when the treatment starts immediately, but the success tapers off quickly as time goes by.
If you cannot get in to the rehabilitation treatment centers for an extended period of time, you owe it to yourself to find another clinic quickly so that therapy can start as soon as possible after the pain erupts.
The therapist only uses passive treatments:
Passive treatments such as ultra-sound, traction and massage feel good and there is no doubt that passive treatment is an important element in the therapy program, but they should not be the only treatment.
Active treatment such as exercise and posture correction is also a part of the care, and is beneficial in most cases. If your therapist only uses passive treatments, you may become reliant on this and never cease the need for therapy.
Rehabilitation treatment centers often do better when they are under a partnership with a company who’s goal is the clinical and financial success of your center. Contact Functional Pathways and talk to them about their programs.
