By Brooke Edwardson, PT Res.
Pro Function Sports Injury Clinic - Physiotherapy Resident
Have you tried Virtual Physiotherapy yet?
Maybe you should… and here are the top 5 reasons why.
Physiotherapy, and really all areas of health care, are constantly growing, changing, and truly getting better each and every day. Over the last year, the whole world has faced more challenges than anyone could have predicted, but still, physiotherapy met these challenges head on and pivoted to provide a rarely used, but powerful tool – virtual healthcare. Virtual healthcare has completely changed how, where, and when everyday people can have access to effective care.
But what exactly is “effective care”, and how can you be confident that virtual physiotherapy can deliver it?
There has been a lot of research looking into this topic and the results are in! Virtual physiotherapy is now proven to be EQUALLY as effective as in-person physiotherapy treatment for improving physical function and pain because of an injury. Whether we are talking about a new injury or an older chronic one really doesn’t matter, virtual physiotherapy can be helpful in both cases and can cover anything from sprains and strains, to arthritis, to pre- and post-surgery rehab, and lots of injuries in between.
“Virtual healthcare has completely changed how, where, and when everyday people can have access to effective care.”
But how?
I mean, I know that before I became a physiotherapist myself I was always confused by how my physiotherapist was able to know what was wrong with me and how to help without needing an X-ray or MRI. Now research has proven that virtual care works. How is it that a physiotherapist can diagnose and help treat injuries without X-rays, MRIs or even the use of their hands?
Well, X-rays, MRIs, and hands-on care are only a small piece of the puzzle. I can learn so much from the information you tell me – how your injury happened, what movements make you feel better or worse, your past injury and medical history, and so on. All the information you tell me, combined with an assessment of how you move gives me a clear picture on what is causing your pain, and how we can start to make you feel better.
At your virtual appointment, we will work together to:
- Talk about your history – when it happened, how it happened, what makes you feel better and worse
- Look at how you move, what movements feel good and which ones make you feel worse, what movements are you scared to do?
- Create a treatment program specific to you
- Provide specific treatments based around what you’ve told us and what we have covered during your appointment
- Demonstrate and guide you through exercises as well as give you information on how you can help yourself and any do’s and don’ts
- Set goals and create a detailed plan on how we will achieve them
There are multiple benefits to Virtual Physiotherapy; here are the Top 5:
- We can treat your pain, new or old! We give you the skills and guidance to take a leading role in your health care
- Improving your quality of life. Do you want to return to playing tennis pain free? Or run around and pick up your grandkids? Whatever your goal may be, we can help you get back to the activities you love
- Treating you from the safety and comfort of your own home- no travel required
- Accessing physiotherapy services during lockdown, illness, busy schedule, etc
- Using technology together to navigate videos, websites, resources and more
Oh!…and here’s a little something extra: we get to see each other’s faces!
Virtual care focuses on motivating you to take control of your health, with guidance from us along the way.
Schedule a Virtual Appointment today, you won’t be disappointed 🙂
Brooke Edwardson, PT Res.
Licensed Physiotherapy Resident
Brooke is passionate about bringing knowledge and empowerment to her community and helping her patients achieve their rehabilitation goals and overall wellness. She believes in taking the time to understand a person’s individual goals and to help them create an action plan to achieve them.
Experienced Clinical Focus with:
- Sports Injuries
- Hockey, Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball and Running Injuries
- Industrial / Physically Demanding Jobs + Injuries
- Spinal, Hip and Knee Injuries
- Pre- and Post- Surgical Cases (eg. ACL Recovery after Surgery)
- Strength and Conditioning
- Sports Team Medical Coverage; Tournaments, Travel, Seasonal
We’ve got lots more for you!
Follow us on your favorite channel.
Have a topic you’d like us to dive into?
Looking for more details on something you see here? Send us a message or email us at info@profunction.ca.
We’re looking forward to hearing from you!
References:
Cottrell, M. A., Galea, O. A., O’Leary, S. P., Hill, A. J., Russell, T. G. (2017). Real-time telerehabilitation for the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions is effective and comparable to standard practice: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Rehabilitation, 31(5), 625-638.
Turolla, A., Rossettini, G., Viceconti, A., Palese A., Geri, T. (2020). Musculoskeletal physical therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: is telerehabilitation the answer? Physical Therapy, 100(8), 1260-1264.
