Where you think it is, it ain’t
With most acute injuries, your brain will trigger a cascade of events that result in a pain response because your tissue is likely damaged and you need to protect it. But here is the interesting thing: tissues heal. Even if you do nothing to them, within 3-6 months they heal. Shy of a spinal cord injury, severe vision/hearing loss, or nerve cell death due to something like a stroke- and even in these cases, the jury isn’t out about whether all hope is totally lost- your tissues heal! Bodies are incredibly, amazingly, fantastically resilient. Humans are marvelous and complex, though, and pain can stick around for non-physiological reasons.
“Let me try my insurance first”
Have you ever been to a PT clinic and seen the staff running from one patient to the next or possibly even juggling two or three patients at a time? Have you been handed off to an unlicensed technician after 20-30 minutes with your PT? Or, if you are lucky enough to have one-on-one care from the therapist for the entirety of the session, were they always typing away on their computer while attempting to multi-task during the treatment? This is not a criticism of the altruistic clinicians who are merely trying to care for their patients. This is a criticism of the insurance-based payment model. It truly serves no one.
What is Concierge PT?
A new type of home health PT is emerging and it is being referred to as concierge PT. Many of the same services are available including exercise prescription, manual therapy, and neuromuscular reeducation. The difference now is that this care may be provided using a cash based model and can be unique to a certain population.