Why Choose Physical Therapy @ RR?
Who is controlling your healthcare? This is quite a loaded question because it includes aspects of government, big corporations, personal understanding, and access, among many other things. The scenario where you see your primary care physician and they have all the time in the world to review your health history, thoroughly evaluate your complaints, and provide options to resolve these issues no longer exists. I remember my pediatrician would take handwritten notes each appointment and ask me specific questions about my sports and hobbies. Increasing healthcare costs, decreasing reimbursement to providers, increasing technological and pharmaceutical advancements have all contributed to this evolution. Patients are now expected to educate themselves and choose providers based on their specific needs. Also, it’s not like going to a restaurant and ordering food where you KNOW what you are receiving and you KNOW what that will cost you. I recall seeing a dermatologist and shortly after, I received a bill for $1500 because a “procedure” to address a cherry angioma(small red dot) was considered cosmetic. I had no idea and was told it was my responsibility to educate myself.
The internet is a fantastic, but overwhelming rabbit hole and insurance can be confusing. When something hurts, simply Google “______ pain” and there are a plethora of Instagram and YouTube solutions. Sometimes, this leaves you debating between something as simple as tendinitis and a cancer diagnosis, which can be insanely scary and frustrating. The ins and outs of insurance can also cause confusion and delay the pursuit of treatment. The burden of healthcare debt drives many to think... “I have a really high deductible. This injury isn’t that bad. I’ll hold off a while and it’ll probably go away.” Individuals that seek treatment within 16 days of injury have a 51% greater functional improvement and a 32% greater reduction in pain than those that wait. Last but not least, insurance can also dictate what treatments you receive or how many visits you are allotted each year.
The educational requirements and regard of physical therapists in the healthcare field have dramatically increased in the past few decades. Over the past decade, direct access to physical therapy was developed, which allows individuals to see a physical therapist without a referral/prescription from a physician. Ruling out “red” flags, such as cancer, and determining the source of your injury is a component of every evaluation. Not only will each of Rogue Rehab’s PTs thoroughly evaluate your injury and answer the “what is hurting?” question, they will provide insight into what compensatory movements or muscle imbalances may have contributed to it and create a plan to address those. Active individuals and athletes are amazing at finding different ways to move to avoid pain. Also, we know there is a very strong connection between regular exercise and mental wellness. You have an injury, find a different way to move/compensate to get the job done, it doesn’t hurt that bad and you can keep doing what you want, and then things snowball into bad habits that place stresses on other regions. We see this a lot with shoulder problems leading to elbow problems in climbers.
In order to decrease the frustrations with Google diagnoses and barriers created by insurances, Rogue Rehabilitation is trying to be a bit more old school. Each patient is not a shoulder or a knee. Each person is a complex network of brain, body, and heart with different goals and aspirations. Our PTs will spend 30+ minutes, one on one with each patient. This allows us to thoroughly evaluate, determine the extent of injury, figure out any factors that may be contributing to it, provide treatment, and ensure that each individual fully understands what is going on, why it is going on, and how to improve it. Rogue Rehab is also a cash-based private practice. That means that we are not held to the constraints of insurance businesses. Also, you know EXACTLY how much each visit costs, which includes whatever interventions the PT believes you need to improve. Additionally, we are available everyday above the OG to see those injuries as soon as possible.
I had patient recently express these thoughts:
“It is about taking care of your car/body. It feels good to use it….The physician drives the car, so you are just along for the ride and told WHAT is wrong, not why. So stop doing what hurts. Physical therapy is the GPS, guiding you and working together.”