Over the past several weeks, with COVID-19 taking over the headlines, our worlds have been flipped upside down. Our work schedules have changed, our childcare schedules have definitely changed, and in general, we’re collectively working off a “new normal” and converting to digital sessions in all aspects of our life is one of the top things on everyone’s mind these days. How do you keep a routine, keep your schedule through digital means?
Well…we’ve had virtual physical therapy sessions in the works for a while now, our timeline was simply accelerated. A lot of my clients are asking…”Will this really work?” “Is it the same as in person?” “Will I get the same results?” And the answer is yes and no. Yes, you will get similar results, yes, you can stay active, pain free, healthy with virtual visits. No in the sense that it is not exactly like being in the clinic because, well, you’re not in the clinic. We can’t touch you with our hands, but that is only a small part of what we do as physical therapist. Our main goal is to partner with you on your health and wellness journey. With virtual visits/digital physical therapy sessions, we will be listening to what you say, instructing you in how to move and giving pointers on how to make your exercises fit into your schedule and life.
At first many of my clients were hesitant. Especially one mom who has been coming to see me with pelvic pain. She didn’t understand how I would be able to help her relieve her pain without the hands-on mobilizations and soft tissue work that we had been doing in the office. We hopped on a virtual session through our app and were able to look at her new “office” set up, walk through what her day now looks like with her 2 young children running around, and came up with a plan that was easily doable for her and her family while in this new set of circumstances.
We got off our first call and she was excited and said she felt so much better not only physically, but mentally, because she was able to connect with a specialist and get her questions answered. She is now set up for weekly visits to continue to move her forward in a way that works for her.
While it is a new normal we’re learning to navigate, you don’t have to suffer until we’re back in the clinic full time. Your aches and pains aren’t going to stop just because you’re at home.
So…how do we do pelvic floor physical therapy virtually? Well…..if you needed internal work, we won’t be doing that, obviously. However, the stretches, strengthening exercises, and home tips and tricks that we normally review and walk through in the office will be that much more valuable when you’re at home. You will get to check your form with your physical therapist come up with plans and exercises that fit into your home set up and routine, and have someone who can help you progress your program safely and effectively. Your physical therapist is there to support you so that you don’t have leaking, pain, or discomfort in the next 6-12 weeks, or however long this lasts.
So…does virtual physical therapy work for women’s health? Well…I just walked through a program with one of my clients who’s been dealing with pubic pain (in the middle down there) and she hasn’t been able to easily or quickly get up and down off the floor to play with her 3 boys in weeks. Coupled with the exercises we’d done in the clinic several weeks ago, we tweaked her program and now she’s able to play with her kids consistently.
With virtual sessions, your therapist can finally see what your home set up looks like and truly help you incorporate your physical therapy program into your lifestyle. Interested about learning more? Send us a message and we’ll be happy to chat. And, no, you don’t have to take your pants off for us to evaluate or treat. Please, keep your clothes on 🙂
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
