What's your one-liner?

[fozzy40]

I'm sure everyone here has had a patient that needs therapy but needs a little bit more convincing. They believe that because they run, go to the gym, etc that they do not need physical therapy.

I have my spiel but I wanted to ask what your one-liner is for patients.

Essentially..."why should I do physical therapy when I can go to the gym or work with my personal trainer?"

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[Hopein2010]

I'm sure everyone here has had a patient that needs therapy but needs a little bit more convincing. They believe that because they run, go to the gym, etc that they do not need physical therapy.

I have my spiel but I wanted to ask what your one-liner is for patients.

Essentially..."why should I do physical therapy when I can go to the gym or work with my personal trainer?"

For ortho pts in acute care, I get, "I don't want to get up, its hurts too bad" alot, lol. I usually say, "you had major surgery, and you will have some discomfort whether you lay in the bed, or get up. You might as well be doing something beneficial, so lets at least try to sit up." This, of course, is in addition to the usual educating on the importance of PT and mobility, ect

 

[Fiveoboy11]

Physical Therapy is distinct from personal training and working out at the gym in that it is a specialized treatment of MSK issues. It is not about having nice abs or getting a good workout, it is isolated to what issues a patient has with specific interventions to address those issues. Patient's such as these may need to be educated that the things they are doing on their own time may be causing or worsening the problem they have. A personal trainer does not have the training or knowledge to determine what exercises are good or harmful.

 

[atstudent]

A personal trainer does not have the training or knowledge to determine what exercises are good or harmful.

Still painting with a pretty broad brush there I see...

 

[goyo1010]

Still painting with a pretty broad brush there I see...

I'm not sure how you could want more details as to the difference in skill, knowledge, and training of PTs vs. CPTs.

 

[atstudent]

I'm not sure how you could want more details as to the difference in skill, knowledge, and training of PTs vs. CPTs.

Mike Boyle would fall under being a "personal trainer." Guess what.. I think he knows what exercises "are good or harmful." I could easily fall under being a personal trainer. Yet part of my job is showing clients and post-rehab patients exercises that are going to benefit their condition.

Are there bad personal trainers out there? ABSOLUTELY. But not all of them.

 

[Fiveoboy11]

Mike Boyle would fall under being a "personal trainer." Guess what.. I think he knows what exercises "are good or harmful." I could easily fall under being a personal trainer. Yet part of my job is showing clients and post-rehab patients exercises that are going to benefit their condition.

Are there bad personal trainers out there? ABSOLUTELY. But not all of them.

Stop wasting everyone's time and infecting people with your ignorance. Personal trainer's are NOT qualified to prescribe exercises in people with MSK issues. A personal trainer with a big mouth and a nice personality doesn't qualify them regardless of your baseless opinion.

 

[ptootles]

My... this thread sure went downhill in a hurry. Maybe we could get back to the OP's original question because I would like to hear from practicing PT's on the subject of how they "encourage" reluctant patients to continue therapy.

 

[goyo1010]

My... this thread sure went downhill in a hurry. Maybe we could get back to the OP's original question because I would like to hear from practicing PT's on the subject of how they "encourage" reluctant patients to continue therapy.

Wow. For realz yo... no. just. no.

 

[jesspt]

I'm sure everyone here has had a patient that needs therapy but needs a little bit more convincing. They believe that because they run, go to the gym, etc that they do not need physical therapy.

I have my spiel but I wanted to ask what your one-liner is for patients.

Essentially..."why should I do physical therapy when I can go to the gym or work with my personal trainer?"

Wow, Fozzy. Are you sorry you asked?

If the patient is currently a runner, gym go-er, pilates person, etc., I usually ask them something like "If all it took to resolve low back pain was running, pilates, a gym membership(insert the patient's perferred activity here), then why have you come to see me (or a doctor, chiropractor, etc)? If your running was a panacea, you probably wouldn't have needed anyone's help in the first place.


But, I think that this type of thing occurs if the patient has a misunderstanding of what physical therapy is, or at least how I think it should be practiced. In the rare instances this has occurred in my practice, usually the patient has one or several of the following perceptions:
A) PT is like personal training, meaning that the physical therapist will just run me through a barrage of exercises, or
B)PT is a painful process, and they can't see how undergoing more pain is going to make their current condition better, or
C) The patietn has had PT before, and found it ineffective for whatever they were being treated for.