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Number one thing to look for when choosing a physical
therapist is to choose the one who cares about his/her
image. Those are usually found in an independent facility
designed specifically for physical therapy. Avoid multi
specialty clinics, which offer physical therapy, very
often those have unspoken arrangements between health
care professionals and patient’s interests become
a secondary concern. Avoid physician owned physical
therapy offices, those usually claim to have physical
therapy, but in most cases are run by unlicensed individuals
who are clueless in what real therapy should be. These
types of facilities do not care about the well being
of their patients, their primary goal is getting in
as many tests and procedures to take huge lumps of money
from the insurance companies. Always inquire if the
physical therapist is licensed, certified massage therapist
has no right to perform physical therapy. His/her training
usually lasts few weeks, while physical therapist goes
through intense education for 6-7 years. Do not trust
your health to imposters, mere massage can make your
condition significantly worse if done for the wrong
reason.
Real Life Story
Few weeks ago I had an elderly, Russian speaking patient
who came to see me for a problem with her neck. She
had severe pain for period of few days, limited ability
to turn head, accompanied by head aches. Her medical
history revealed elevated blood pressure and a history
of breast cancer. As I proceeded with evaluation, she
made a statement that she does not need physical therapy
because it does not help. I asked her why than she came
to see me. Her response was that electric procedures
with heating modalities make her feel worse. I had to
explain to her that these modalities are nothing, but
a tiny component of physical therapy treatment and in
her case they are counter indicated due to history of
cancer. She was very surprised to learn this information,
because few months ago her primary care physician send
her to “physical therapy” in his office,
where her treatment consisted of heat and electric stimulation,
topped by some massage. Electric modalities such as
TENS and Ultrasound promote the growth of cancer cells
and are almost never to be performed with cancer survivors;
any physical therapist would know that.
Don’t settle for anything less than a healthcare
professional who is licensed and cares about you and
your feedback about his/her service.
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