Understanding Results-Driven Physical Therapy

Most physical therapy sessions begin after someone is injured, severely ill, or undergoes surgery. They can only get started after the patient's insurance company offers approval, and the length of the treatment, type of activities performed, and other essential elements of the person's physical therapy plan are all affected by the insurer's policies. Results-driven physical therapy works differently.

Focused on Patients' Goals

Every person's lifestyle is different. Some are happy to regain enough function to perform basic daily tasks like going out grocery shopping alone. Others were running marathons or playing for local sports teams, and their rehabilitation goals will naturally be very different. Purpose Physical Therapy understands that the goal of a rehabilitation program should be to help the patient get back to their target physical ability, not the point that their insurance company deems good enough.

It's Not Just About Time

The recovery process can be difficult, especially for those who have been suffering from conditions that left them bedridden. Everyone's journey back to physical health is different, though, and each one should be designed based on the patient's needs and timeframe for healing. With results-based physical therapy, it's progress towards a specific goal that matters, not how long the patient has been attending rehabilitation sessions.

There's No Need to Start From Rock Bottom

With conventional physical therapy, there's a disturbing trend where people are only able to start PT if they have undergone surgeries or have been sent home after prolonged hospital stays. The problem with this approach is that the chances are good the person's musculoskeletal health was suffering before the hospitalization or surgery, and all of the intervening time just creates opportunities for the situation to get worse. Starting PT as soon as someone notices their physical performance starting to slip due to an injury or illness helps the person maintain a greater level of function and mobility throughout their healing process.

Leveraging Science

There's a lot to sports medicine. All physiotherapists receive training in the field, but some get more of an education regarding why specific treatments work in addition to how particular exercises, stretches, or massage techniques can help patients. Results-driven physical therapy uses modern scientific knowledge about the body to help inform treatment plans. That usually means combining active and passive treatments to maximize patient comfort, healing rates, and overall success.

Carefully Tailored, Personalized Plans

The combined effect of all the different approaches to physical therapy described above is to inspire physiotherapists and other members of each patient's care team to get to know the person and craft a plan that's perfectly tailored to their lifestyle, goals, and personality. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to results-driven physical therapy because there's no such thing as a typical patient. Everyone is different, and all people deserve to have rehabilitation plans and access to physical therapists that respect their ability levels and needs.

How to Get Started

Because results-based physical therapy eschews traditional, one-size-fits-all, reactive approaches to helping patients heal, it should come as no surprise that there's also no need to get a referral. People can just contact a reputable rehabilitation specialist to schedule an initial evaluation and discuss options for moving forward. While most of these kinds of establishments don't take medical insurance, many offer special financing offers designed to make their services available to a wider range of patients from many economic backgrounds. Don't be afraid to ask.