Physical therapy care dates back to 460 B.C., when Hector and Hippocrates (the founder of medicine as a rational science) utilized water therapy and massage to treat their patients. Whether you’re dealing with back pain, neck pain, or any chronic pain affecting your joints, you need to ensure that you’re receiving quality care.
If you’re going to receive any kind of chronic pain treatment, it’s important to work with experienced professionals. There are plenty of physical therapy centers across the U.S., but many of them frequently make mistakes when assisting their patients.
Here are some common mistakes my by professionals at physical therapy centers:
- Not following up with patients — Only 35% of physical therapy patients fully adhere to their plans of care — according to PubMed.gov. Though this responsibility falls on the individual patient, experienced physical therapists know how to follow up with treatment and check in to make sure their plans are being followed. Re-evaluations every 30 days or so are essential for developing and sticking to effective physical therapy routines.
- Neglecting to listen to patients — Medical professionals certainly know much more about pain treatment and physical therapy than patients, but they still need to be all ears early on. Simply listening and understanding what the patient is going through will help the physical therapists diagnose exactly what’s going on and develop a personalized plan to minimize pain and improve their physical well being.
- Limiting care to only one area of the body — Just because a patient is suffering from knee pain, for example, doesn’t mean the problem is coming from the knee. Quality physical therapists understand human movement and how the entire body functions at all times, not just specific areas. Painful knees need to be looked at, of course, but there could be some underlying issues that need to be addressed, as well.
If you want to get a better handle on your chronic pain and are in need of compassionate, experienced, and trusted care, make sure you’re visiting a quality physical therapy center — give us a call today!
