The answer to this question is that almost anyone can benefit from virtual physical therapy (PT), but there are several types of patients who may find this type of physical therapy especially beneficial.
Virtual PT is a type of telehealth; it uses technology to connect physical therapists with their patients. In most cases, virtual PT sessions consist of you meeting with a therapist over a secure online video link. Using virtual physical therapy alone can benefit many types of patients. It can even be combined with in-person physical therapy to treat a wide range of issues.
Three types of patients that can benefit from virtual physical therapy
Virtual physical therapy can offer many benefits. For instance, one provider reports that 93% of its patients saw reductions in pain after virtual PT. It’s also been reported that virtual PT can offer 60% faster scheduling than in-person sessions. These benefits probably sound great to just about everyone, but there are several patients in particular that virtual PT can offer its benefits to, including:
1. Hip replacement patients — A hip replacement surgery is typically done to help patients address end-stage hip osteoarthritis. It’s estimated that nearly 371,000 hip replacements were performed in 2014. There are many benefits that these patients can get if they use virtual PT. One study found that virtual PT after a hip replacement helped patients:
- Achieve a 90% accuracy rating when doing therapeutic exercises.
- Do 12 minutes of therapeutic exercise per day on average.
2. Knee replacement patients — Knee replacements are even more common than hip replacements. It’s reported that more than 680,000 knee replacements were done in 2014. These patients can also benefit from virtual PT. A study on virtual PT after a knee replacement reports that patients:
- Achieved a 93% accuracy rate while doing therapeutic exercises.
- Accomplished 24 minutes of therapeutic exercise per day on average.
3. Rural patients — Patients in rural areas who need physical therapy must often drive for hours to go to an in-person appointment. The reason is that there are 30 specialists per 100,000 people in rural areas of the U.S. In urban areas, there are 263 specialists per 100,000 people. Virtual PT and an internet connection allow rural patients to meet with a therapist without the hours of traveling.
Whatcom Physical Therapy offers beneficial virtual physical therapy
Are you someone who thinks they could benefit from virtual physical therapy? Our Whatcom PT team is ready to help you give virtual PT a try. We’ve partnered with Agile Virtual Care to provide this service, and this partnership makes us part of a virtual PT network that spans 33 U.S. states.
Contact our team today for more information about the virtual PT service we offer or to schedule an initial appointment.
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