To our valued patients,
It has been over a week since the new restrictions have been placed on Physiotherapy Clinics. We have been busy here at Elevation Physiotherapy transitioning our patients to TeleRehabilitation. Currently, only Critical or Urgent patients can attend in-Clinic. This means that if your condition and pain are so severe that without in-Clinic treatment, you would admit yourself to an emergency department. Of course, very few people who usually attend physiotherapy clinics would fit this criteria. Hence, the need for TeleRehabilitation.
I am pleased to report that in just one week, we have already treated the following conditions using TeleRehabilitation:
- Subacute lateral patella subluxation
- Hip Osteoarthritis
- Low back pain
- Neck pain
- Whiplash injuries from Motor Vehicle Accidents
- Post Concussion Disorder
- Dizziness from a Unilateral Vestibular Loss
- Ankle Avulsion fracture
- Advice on cardiovascular and strength exercises for pre-existing injuries and conditions.
- Frozen shoulder
- Rotator cuff tears
- Headaches
In the past 2 weeks, we have received calls from people reporting an increased amount of low back and neck pain due to a greater amount of time spent sitting as they have transitioned to working from home. Some people have also sustained injuries doing exercises on-line using YouTube or similar exercise videos in their admirable attempts to remain active.
If you are struggling at home with pain or an injury, please know that TeleRehabilitation is an excellent, evidenced based method of delivering Physiotherapy care. Studies have shown that Physiotherapy delivered using TeleRehabilitation have improved pain and function that is better than self management and is equivalent to face to face intervention for the improvement of physical function (Cottrell et al). In another study, there was a 93.3% agreement in patho-anatomical diagnosis between face to face and TeleRehabilitation assessments (Russell et al, 2010.)
So far, all of our TeleRehabilitation appointments have gone extremely well. Read here about what one patient had to say about her experience:
“I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to adjust to Tele-Rehab. It was lovely being able to be in my own space, with my own equipment. It was one less barrier to completing my PhysiApp exercises, we simply worked with what I had available at home. Albert gave the same incredibly high level of attention to detail, care, and support that he always does. Since our appointment, I’ve had significant progress that would not have been possible without Tele-Rehab. My pain has reduced and my mobility has increased. I’m grateful to Albert and his team for creatively continuing to offer and adapt services and continuity of care in these challenging times.” – Chantel M.
Are you struggling at home with pain? Are you noticing a decline in function? Would you be interested in a home-based cardiovascular or strength program? Do you need guidance on what kind of exercises would be appropriate for you during these times of self-isolation? If so, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. TeleRehabilitation works!
References:
Cottrell et al. Agreement between Telehealth and in-Person assessment of patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions presenting to an advanced practise physiotherapy screening clinic. Musc. Sci. Pract. (2018) Dec 38:99-105.
Russell et al. TeleRehabilitation Mediated Physiotherapy Assessment of Ankle Disorders. Physiother.Res.Int. 15 (2010) 167-175.