One-On-One Physical Therapy: Why It’s a Better Approach
The idea of physical therapy can conjure up a variety of images. People lifting weights and performing stretches at a gym, people working out at a home gym, maybe even people in a hospital doing rehabilitation exercises. But what does physical therapy actually look like?
Like anything else, physical therapy is changing and evolving. It used to be that patients would undergo an evaluation before being handed off to a variety of physical therapists and assistants, speaking with several people before actually putting their physical therapy plan into action. But today one-on-one physical therapy has become the more accepted form of therapy, with a focus on personalized care between the therapist and the patient.
What is One-On-One Physical Therapy?
So just what is one-on-one physical therapy? It’s pretty much just as it sounds: therapy between the therapist and the patient. Basically it values frequent direct interaction between the patient and the physical therapist, limiting the people involved (this is especially beneficial in the era of COVID and social distancing where the more people involved can be more dangerous to your health). Just as the name says, it involves one-on-one interaction for a more optimal approach to rehabilitation. Here are six of the benefits of one-on-one physical therapy and why it’s the best approach.
Benefit 1
With one-on-one physical therapy, the therapist is able to monitor and observe what’s going on with the patient, for a more targeted approach. They’re able to see progress and maybe even spot areas that could use some extra attention. The frequency helps therapists to be able to develop a relationship with the patient and help them get better faster.
Benefit 2
Since a patient is only seeing one therapist, this removes many of the middle people involved, meaning there are less distractions and time wasted. This is good for the patient, as no one has a lot of time when it comes to responsibilities like work, family, and other commitments, but this is also good for the therapist when it comes to being able to assist in the patient’s progress.
Benefit 3
One-on-one physical therapy offers a streamlined process for recovery, where the patient develops a relationship with a therapist where they are free to ask questions and become knowledgeable in their health. This also allows for the physical therapist to devote their attention to a patient’s whole body, rather than specializing in just one area.
Benefit 4
You’re able to set goals and develop a plan that may even reduce the number of sessions you need for recovery. Who doesn’t want to spend less time at the doctor’s? One-on-one physical therapy gets the patient back on their feet and on their way back to life.
Benefit 5
Manual therapy, or a hands-on approach to creating passive movement of the soft tissue and joints, is another benefit of one-on-one physical therapy. When it comes to manual therapy, many physical therapy assistants and aides are not able to provide it without physical therapist supervision. So in providing patients with a direct link to their physical therapist, they are also providing a direct line to amplifying joint movement and soft tissue recovery.
Benefit 6
In many physical therapy clinics, therapists might be seeing multiple patients at one time. With one-on-one physical therapy, this reduces distraction for the therapist and allows them to provide unlimited attention over the course of 45 minutes to an hour. This also allows the patient to figure out how to perform the exercises correctly and even include modifications.
One-On-One Physical Therapy: The Best Approach
As you can see, one-on-one physical therapy has many benefits that are helpful to patients, including a personalized approach to recovery that includes a direct relationship between the physical therapist and the patient, removing the assistants, aides, and other people who might be unnecessarily involved in the process. It also often takes less time for a patient to recover because of the targeted sessions. Many patients might now know anything other than one-on-one physical therapy, as it has become the most accepted form of physical therapy in recent years. This hands-on, straightforward approach helps get patients back into action as soon as possible.
Contact Us
Now that you know what one-on-one physical therapy is, feel free to reach out to Love Health with any questions or concerns about our one-on-one physical therapy sessions. Whether it’s sports medicine or functional medicine, Love Health has expert physicians and a top-flight staff to support you with whatever medical services you need, providing individualized therapy to get you back on your feet or maybe even off your feet. We have locations in North Tampa, St. Petersburg, South Sarasota, and North Sarasota.
To schedule an appointment, contact us at 1-800-511-8050 or get in touch via our contact link on our website here.
