I hate the coronavirus. I hate it for so many reasons: people are dying, businesses are closed, kids aren't in school, people are being laid off, we can't hug our friends and loved ones, I broke my Lent commitment and had some wine! But the coronavirus has also propelled us to witness some amazing feats: hospital workers, truck drivers, and teachers are finally being given the appreciation they have long deserved, people are FINALLY learning how to wash their hands, and we are getting more family time. But for us as physical therapists, insurance companies are now paying for virtual visits with a physical therapist!!!
Let's talk about what that means. A virtual physical therapy visit (also known as telehealth) is a one-on-one session with your physical therapist but it is over the internet. You can use your desktop, cell phone, or tablet to communicate. We are currently utilizing a platform called Zoom which allows you to see your therapist's face, hear their voice, and they can share their screen with you to review your home exercise program or video analysis. They can also see first hand how you do things like climb the stairs, pick up your newborn, load dishes into the cupboard, and sit at your home workstation. These functional tasks act as a way for us to evaluate your movement and help you re-train to get back to these activities that are so important to everyday living.
You insurance will cover this service but you may be wondering if this is right for you versus coming into our clinic to meet in-person with your physical therapist. Each of us here at Smith Physical Therapy and Running Academy is a specialist:
- Dana specializes in treating head and neck issues (headaches, TMJ dysfunction, concussions, dizziness, neck pain, BPPV/vertigo)
- Ashley is a specialist in treating women's pelvic floor issues
- Abby is a performance specialist working with athletes of all levels to maximize their movement in their sport
- Denise is a certified running technique specialist
As specialists, we thrive on seeing our patients in the clinic. We love using our hands to help retrain movement and address muscular and joint issues that our patients may have. Patients that have had surgery definitely benefit from this. But sometimes, there isn't an injury that requires hands-on manual therapy. Or sometimes you have a sick child and can't leave your house. Or sometimes there is some super weird pandemic that causes our Governor and President to recommend we don't leave our house. And while physical therapy is considered an "essential service," we are doing our best to make sure we protect our team, patients, and the community to avoid spreading any weird virus. As with all of our patients, there is no one-size-fits-all so we can help determine who is a good candidate for a virtual visit versus an in-clinic visit.
If you are not sure if you would be a candidate for a virtual visit, call our clinic at 815.893.9075 or email us at clinic@smithptrun.com.
