How can you be sure your treatments are the most up to date, evidence-based protocols? You could be hurting your patients if not…
Mary Lucas is a 74-year-old retired woman who was diagnosed with scoliosis in the ‘90s. She has battled with severe pain for many years. At first, her doctors wanted to operate on her but she was determined to seek different options, which led her to physical therapy.
“The first physical therapist I met told me I should never exercise standing up or it would make it worse. But I love to walk!” Mary said.
Imagine what this would be like… not being able to take walks? Suddenly, spine surgery doesn’t sound too bad.
What Mary didn’t know was her physical therapist was using outdated scoliosis methodologies. Her therapist hadn’t continued his education and study in scoliosis treatment, so he was using what he learned 20-30 years prior in school.
Mary continued physical therapy but wasn’t seeing much improvement and this outdated therapy she was receiving was actually causing her more harm.
That’s when Mary pursued other options for therapy. She did some research of her own and found FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers soon after moving to Sarasota, Florida.
“I went to FYZICAL and they said my last physical therapist was crazy!” Mary explained. Luckily, her new therapist had recently graduated from physical therapy school and was up-to-date on the most current scoliosis research and training.
Mary continued her treatment with the new therapist and started seeing a significant decrease in pain. She also enjoyed the different forms of treatment, “I loved how they incorporated water therapy,” she said. “I have no pain and I’m not getting any worse as I age.”
Mary has also fully recovered from another injury she experienced three years ago. “I slipped off a stool and got a compression fracture on my L1 three years ago, and once again, my therapist has strengthened my spine and I’ve had no problems at all since completing my therapy.”
Mary is lucky she found a physical therapist with an up-to-date education in scoliosis treatments and she continues to enjoy a better quality of life. “I can do anything and everything I want to do with no pain!”
So why is there such an inconsistency with physical therapists?
Unfortunately, many physical therapists don’t keep up with the latest research and advancements in treatment methodologies as they progress in their careers. Physical therapists often stick to their specialties and don’t continue strengthening their skill sets and researching evidence-based therapy updates.
Physical therapy providers should be focused on building a holistic team to offer specialized services in all areas and shift towards preventative care rather than sick care. Continued education in medicine makes this possible and should be available to all physical therapists.
In fact, the average physical therapy owner budgets approximately $1500 per clinician for continued education. Regrettably, this will only get them so far.
The new age of education in physical therapy is upon us
Evidence-based protocols, new equipment, and treatment methods evolve every day. It’s nearly impossible for one physical therapist to be an expert in every area. Because of stories like Mary’s, FYZICAL recognizes the necessity for continued education in physical therapy in order to help more patients love their lives.
A group of private practice owners, business experts, clinical leaders and trainers are continuously gathering knowledge into a proprietary, all-encompassing platform with the latest and greatest in physical therapy education through an ever-evolving FYZICAL College. FYZICAL puts into the hands of every clinician the most up-to-date treatment methodologies for every ailment, and step-by-step processes for not only treating patients, but also billing, insurance reimbursements, marketing, management, branding and so much more. Visit www.fyzicalfranchise.com to learn more.
