Monday, January 4, 2010

What Can A Manual Physical Therapist Do For Me?

10-15 minutes
Ten-fifteen minutes. That is typically the amount of time most patients spend with their physical therapist. They are usually greeted by an aide when they arrive, then given some combination of hot packs, ultrasound, or exercise to warm-up. They may start with some exercises after that, then the therapist comes for a brief period to stretch them, do a little hands on work, or instruct them in some new exercises. After that, the patient continues with more of their program with the aide, then they end their session on ice and electrical stimulation. They might be in the clinic for 60-75 minutes, but they don't spend more than a fraction of that with the PT. Sound familiar?

If that sounds like your physical therapy experience, then you need to look for a new physical therapist. You need to make sure that your insurance dollar is getting the most for you. You need to seek out a new breed of physical therapist. You need a manual physical therapist.

New Era
In this era of rising health care costs, we know people value their money and their time. We don't want them to waste an hour at our facility thinking: "I could have received that same treatment from my personal trainer" or "I could have found that out from the web and saved myself $50."

Manual physical therapy is a specialized form of physical therapy focused on the hands-on approaches used to treat dysfunction, rather than relying on a device or machine. In addition to be healing experience of human touch, manual PT's are able to affect muscle tissue and mobilize joints in an attempt to decrease muscle spasm/tension and improve joint motion.

Why Doesn't My PT Do It?
Manual therapy is only a small part of the education a therapist receives in school. Once in practice, many therapists may not spend the time, resources, or energy necessary to become efficient and proficient in this area of practice. And physicians may not have a thorough understanding of the benefits of manual physical therapy.

Manual therapy has been shown to provide relief for those suffering chronic neck and back pain, as well as conditions such as sacroiliac joint dysfunction and frozen shoulder. Whether relief comes once again from the touch of another human, manual technique have been shown effective in improving joint mobility, which can help decrease discomfort and alterations in motion/posture/function.
45 Minutes!!!
At ESPT, we have set ourselves apart by providing you the most 1-on-1 physical therapist time of any clinic in Fremont. By getting 45 minutes with the physical therapist, you can rest assured that we will be able to spend time working with you and assessing your treatment and progress in ways that other clinics cannot.

At ESPT, you will receive hands-on care at each and every physical therapy treatment. With manual therapy (and 3x as much PT time as some clinics are offering), you will have the experience of a licensed PT working to normalize your flexibility and mobility. Through soft-tissue work and joint mobilization, you will see firsthand why it's important to have that "hands-on" approach in rehabilitation.

At ESPT, we have the city's only Certified Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapist. You can meet him here. And he will provide you with treatment that you cannot receive anywhere else.

If you want the best physical therapy care in 2010, contact us at Elite Sports Physical Therapy (510.656.3777).

Next Blog: Types of Manual Therapy


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