| Physical therapy can be very beneficial in the | | | | diagnosed as having a ruptured disc in his lumbar |
| treatment of a variety of musculoskeletal | | | | spine and he could barely walk. The physical |
| disorders. Unfortunately it can also cause further | | | | therapy assistants had been using the standard |
| injury or a delay in healing when the therapy is | | | | low back pain protocol used at the facility. |
| applied to according to a preconceived protocol | | | | Unfortunately, their standard back pain protocol |
| rather than taking the patient's individual | | | | was completely inappropriate for a person with a |
| circumstances into consideration. | | | | ruptured disc. They were actually having this man |
| While this may seem obvious that different | | | | do resistance training, despite the fact that he |
| patients may have different treatment needs, | | | | was literally screaming out in pain! Trying to be a |
| experience has shown that some physical therapy | | | | compliant patient, he was actually attempting to |
| clinics utilize a "one-size-fits-all" approach to | | | | do the weight-lifting they were asking him to do, |
| therapy. This approach appears to be especially | | | | and nobody seemed to be able to figure out (or |
| common in larger physical therapy facilities in | | | | perhaps simply didn't care) why he was getting |
| which a large part of the treatment is | | | | worse! |
| administered by assistants rather than by actual | | | | A good physical therapist will always consider the |
| physical therapists. | | | | patient's unique circumstances and develop a |
| A physical therapy assistant may not always | | | | treatment program that is designed specifically for |
| have the training and experience to know when | | | | that patient. While general protocols can be helpful, |
| the usual treatment protocol is not appropriate | | | | strict adherence to a pre-set protocol is not |
| for a given patient. This leads to the situation in | | | | always in the best interests of the patient. |
| which patients are put through therapies that not | | | | In addition, while a physical therapist may delegate |
| only fail to bring improvement, but can actually | | | | some treatment duties to assistants, the |
| delay recovery and even cause further injury. | | | | therapist must be sure that the assistants are |
| For instance, I had the occasion to treat a | | | | properly trained and that the assistants maintain |
| gentleman who presented with severe low back | | | | good communication with the patient and the |
| pain and sciatica who had been having physical | | | | physical therapist so that treatment can be |
| therapy at a nearby facility. This patient had been | | | | adjusted if the need arises. |