Recent events have made it harder for people to get to a physical therapy clinic, but people in rural areas have always had this issue. Increasing access to physical therapy is one reason why virtual physical therapy, or virtual PT, has been gaining popularity.
There has been a strong movement toward virtual medical services for years now. In fact, it’s reported that 78% of people surveyed indicated they would be willing to use virtual medical care in 2018. Virtual PT seeks to meet this desire with one-on-one, secure video sessions. Many people might be wary of trying virtual physical therapy for the first time, but there are many reasons you should give this type of physical therapy a try.
Two reasons you should try virtual physical therapy
There are many reasons that people in pain should give virtual PT a shot. Two of the best reasons are that it:
- Has lower costs — The cost of seeing a medical professional is high across the board, and physical therapists are no exception. One study reports that the average physical therapy patient pays about $30 per session with insurance and $125 per session without insurance.
One reason you should consider virtual PT is that it can significantly lower your physical therapy costs. A study reports that, on average, patients who used virtual PT for their total knee replacement rehab had a $2,745 cost savings.
- Has high patient satisfaction — You might be unsure of using virtual PT because you don’t think you’ll be satisfied with it. However, research shows that this likely won’t be the case. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found that patients were highly satisfied with their virtual PT experience, and the patients surveyed gave this service a 91.2% approval score.
What’s involved in a virtual physical therapy experience?
Virtual PT sessions can vary slightly from patient to patient, but there are certain general steps that your experience will likely include. Some of these steps are:
- Signing up for an appointment — Like an in-person appointment, you’ll have to call or sign up for a virtual PT session online.
- Giving background information — You may also be asked to fill out some forms before your appointment and send them back to the physical therapist. This helps your specialist know your background info before your session.
- Creating a personalized therapy plan — After determining what issue you have, your physical therapist can come up with a therapy plan for you. This plan will be tailored to fit your condition and your specific needs.
Find top-notch virtual physical therapy at Back in Motion Physical Therapy
Ready to give virtual physical therapy a try? Our team at Back in Motion PT is here to help you find effective virtual PT. We’ve partnered with Agile Virtual Care to provide patients with high-quality virtual services.
Not close to us? That’s not a problem! The virtual nature of this service means you don’t have to be close by to work with our physical therapists. However, if you want to work with someone closer to you, Agile also has virtual PT partners in 32 U.S. states.
Contact us today for more information about virtual physical therapy or to schedule an initial appointment.