A study published in the journal Health Services Research suggests trying physical therapy first may may cost patients less in the long run, as well as curb reliance on opioids.
from NPR
Though Americans spend an estimated $80 billion to $100 billion each year in hopes of easing their aching backs, the evidence is mounting that many pricey standard treatments — including surgery and spinal injections — are often ineffective and can even worsen and prolong the problem.
Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
There are numerous benefits to not being a brick-and-mortar clinic and providing house calls. Here’s a small sample of them.
from WebPT
What if I told you there’s a physical therapy practice model that requires minimal investment, has a low operating cost, and is practically burnout-proof? What if I added that this model provides a steady flow of new clients and is well poised to meet the rehab needs of the Baby Boomer generation? It would almost be too good to be true, right? Well, it’s real.
Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
Creating a patient journey map can be one way to put yourself in your patient’s minds in order to create a better patient experience.
from Evidence in Motion
There are times when I think it would be helpful to know what my patients are thinking and feeling. I do my best to motivate interested prospects to make an appointment or patients to implement their plan of care. Too often I just don’t seem to connect with them and wonder what they’re thinking.
Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
The right technology in the PT gym can help successfully prepare clients of all kinds to get back to their regular lives safely.
from Physical Therapy Products
Rehab can seem like a battle of attrition for clients who may feel the need to summon equal parts of tenacity, focus, and faith in their physical therapist to push through a months-long program. Along that continuum clients are likely to spend time on some of the workhorse technologies of the PT gym. One such well-known technology is the treadmill. Mention that universal piece of workout and rehab equipment, and watch eyes roll at the thought of dull sessions made tolerable only by tunes and TV reruns. Treadmill technologies have been updated, however, to offer exceptional versatility and provide activity sessions that leverage modern design features. Among those features are self-powered capabilities, a weighted sled, resistance parachute, and harness system all in one space-efficient package.
Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
October is the time to recognize the impact PTs and PTAs have on their patients’ lives and in their communities.
October is National Physical Therapy Month, as it has been dubbed by the American Physical Therapy Association, and the month serves as a time to recognize the impact PTs and PTAs have on their patients’ lives and in their communities.
One way to celebrate is by participating in the Global PT Day of Service on October 14th. Founded two years ago by a team of passionate PTs, PTDOS has seen over 8,000 PT and PTA volunteers make a difference across 42 countries around the globe. PTDOS encourages PTs and PTAs to give back to their communities by working in a pro bono physical therapy clinic, serving in a soup kitchen, cleaning up a community garden, or via any other means that contributes to the greater good.
PTs and PTAs, will you take the pledge to give back this year? If so, click here to pledge to serve.
Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
Exploring the merits of cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques, namely the act of mindfulness, in your therapy practice.
from Evidence in Motion
I went to PT school way back in the Dark Ages, when everything was extremely heavily pathoanatomically based and while we talked about the biopsychosocial model, no one was particularly clear on how to implement it. However, I think most of us are well aware of the advances we have seen in pain sciences and the impact of the –psycho- piece of that, and hopefully more of us are clearer on how to implement it, at least with our patients with chronic pain. Cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques have become a huge part of my practice (which is largely patients with chronic pain, many of whom have some pelvic floor component-though not all), far more than I would have ever thought back in PT school when I was busily memorizing information about upslips, downslips, and counternutations!
Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
Research shows that the condition is a true physiological disease. Here’s what to look for, and how PTs are helping those who have it.
from PT in Motion
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has come a long way since the 1980s, when it was widely dismissed as “yuppie flu” and was suspected by many health care providers of being a psychological rather than a physiological condition.
Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
There are just some lessons that, as a PT, you simply cannot learn in a formal educational environment.
from WebPT
I am not one of those people who bounded out of physical therapy school, brimming with confidence and ready to take on the world. I didn’t lead any groups or clubs during school. I made absolutely no effort to network. And I wound up spending the first two years of my PT career bouncing around a bit, trying to find my footing in the physical therapy industry. While I had a really solid clinical education in PT school, there are some thingsthat you simply cannot learn in a formal educational environment, because these lessons end up being pretty unique to you as an individual.
Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
Of the millions of Americans suffering from back pain, there are an equal number of possible treatments and technologies that we, as physical therapists, need to explore and administer.
from Physical Therapy Products
As widespread and pervasive as back pain is, physical therapists cannot treat it with a broad brush. There is no one-size-fits-all approach therapists can take to help patients find relief. Whether it’s chronic or acute pain, no two conditions are the same—and even if they were physiologically similar, the solutions could be widely different because the patients, themselves, are different.
Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
Our profession naturally has many different treatment techniques, but at the end of the day, it is our reasoning approach that we should value over the technique itself.
from Evidence in Motion
I am a physical therapist. I am a physical therapist who uses manual therapy. One who uses exercise in many forms. I use pain neuroscience and specific treatments to address persistent pain (PNE, graded motor imagery, graded activity and exposure). I dry needle. I use heat, ice and, hell, sometimes I might use ultrasound. However, the most important clinical “technique” of all: the reasoning on how, when and why I use them.
Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
