Why should you do a telehealth visit (also knows as telemedicine or virtual visits) for physical therapy? At Nashville Physical Therapy & Performance, we have several reasons why we think telehealth visits are a great alternative to traditional office visits.
Can’t leave your house because of a quarantine or social distancing? Do you have a sick family member you have to be home with? Are you waiting for the cable guy to show up at some point during your day? Now you can do your PT visit from your living room, bedroom, or home office, no exposure to others necessary. You don’t have to leave your house! You can even wear your pajamas, we won’t judge.
Telehealth appointments can save you time. When you have an office visit, it would typically last 45-60 minutes, but how much time are you spending traveling to and from your appointments? Wouldn’t you like to save that valuable time that you can’t get back by doing an appointment from your home or office?
No traffic. No parking. No waiting rooms. Does that one even need more explanation? How frustrating is it to drive in traffic, navigate a large parking lot or garage, and then have to go sit in a waiting room waiting for your provider to be ready? Telehealth visits eliminate all of that for you.
More flexible scheduling. If you and your PT both can do your appointment from anywhere you have internet access, both schedules open up and can be more accommodating to fit the needs of the patient. This also includes vacation or travel for work. Are you going to be gone for an extended period but you want a follow up visit to make sure you stay on track? Telehealth is the answer.
Your therapist can see where you do your exercises and your equipment. Most of your rehab isn’t done in our office, it’s done in your home between visits. Have you ever thought how helpful if could be if your PT could come home with you and see what space and equipment you’re working with? Now they can! Get the most out of your home exercises with telehealth visits.
I’m sure you’re wondering if telehealth visits are as effective as in person visits – the answer is yes, they can be. Obviously we can’t offer things such as dry needling, but we can show you how to do some self-relief techniques such as using a lacrosse ball or foam roller for soft tissue work. We can even show you how to tape different body parts if you have the supplies. There’s so much we can offer our patients just by talking to them and educating them. Don’t put off care because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are here to make sure you can stay active and pain free, even if you’re stuck at home.
We offer a few types of visits for our telehealth patients, consultations and regular visits. A consultation is a starting point to see what you need to do. Maybe it’s just some activity modification and an exercise or two. If you need more than that, we’ll discuss other options. Our other visits are evaluations and follow up visits, just like you’d have in the clinic.
We are also getting ready to offer online fitness/wellness classes that combine a workout with a focus on injury prevention for one body part or for a particular group of people (ie: runners). Stay tuned for more info on our offerings and schedule.