The COVID-19 virus is affecting all aspects of our lives right now. Many things have been put on hold for the time being but one thing that doesn't take a break for some is chronic pain. The financial and mental stressors that have developed over the past few weeks only add to the level of pain and anxiety that many are enduring.
Because of health and safety reasons, most of our patients have put their physical therapy appointments on hold over the past three weeks. Some, however, are utilizing virtual physical therapy to continue their treatments in the home setting and the results of these telehealth sessions have been very positive. Physical therapy doesn't just consist of Powerful Touching. In fact, many of our sessions consist of instruction in-home exercises, education on proper postures and body mechanics, and many self-help techniques and resources to improve your weel-being. All of these tools can be shared over a platform such as Facetime, Doxy.me or Zoom.us, three popular ones than many are using during this pandemic.
For those of you with new injuries or pains that you may be ignoring, don't wait. Try a telehealth physical therapy visit today. The visit will be covered by your insurance company the same as if you were in a clinic setting and copays and co-insurance payments are waived at this time.
Here are a few tips to make your virtual visit a success.
- Wear clothing that will expose your injured area. For example, if you have a knee injury, wear shorts or if you back or shoulder hurts, wear a bathing suit top (ladies).
- Set up your computer in a well-lit room with plenty of space so you can lie down if need be for certain exercises.
- Try to have another person present in the house when the session is taking place. If that is not possible, give your therapist two emergency contact numbers.
- Have any exercise equipment that you own available, such as light weights, bands or massage balls.
- Write your questions and symptoms down before the visit to make better use of your time with the therapist.
Telehealth physical therapy will give you a head start on the rehabilitation process and can be utilized for a number of new or old conditions, such as:
- Vestibular disorders (dizziness)
- Acute ankle sprains
- Acute knee sprains
- Muscle strains
- Sudden onset of back or neck pain
- Chronic back pain
- Follow up and progressions of an existing exercise program
- Instruction on how to use an assistive device such as crutches or cane
At FYZICAL - Mechanicsburg we want to continue to be available for our patients while avoiding the potential unnecessary exposure to the COVID-19 Virus. Many things are changing very quickly in health care right now so everyone can remain safe in their homes. Unfortunately, this could also cause more inactivity with a subsequent loss of balance and strength. What we don't want to see happen is an increase in deaths related to falls in the home. According to a 2010 study, the 1-year mortality rate after sustaining a hip fracture has been estimated to be between 14% and 58%. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3597289/)
We are all in this together and hopefully one day soon we will get back to seeing our community come through our doors with smiles on their faces instead of masks. Please keep in touch and let us know if we can help you in any way during this pandemic. If you are interested in setting up a physical therapy appointment give us a call at 717-591-3000 or click here.
From the FYZICAL - Mechanicsburg team to you, please stay healthy and active at home.