One of the most enjoyable parts of teaching the Movement and Mobility Trainer Course for CrossFit is the one on one time I get with hundreds of CrossFit athletes. Many people come to our courses with a ton of questions and it’s always surprising to me how appreciative they are when I spend a few minutes listening to them and giving them advice. It makes me think, what the hell are most medical providers, physical therapist and chiropractors doing? My opinion is most of these providers are extremely busy with large patient caseloads in order to have a profitable business. I understand this problem well. I have worked in clinics where I have seen 20-25 patients per day. You basically are just putting out fires all day and you don’t get the opportunity to just listen to someone. The number one, most important aspect to successfully treating someone that is injured is listening. Nine times out of ten, the patient tells us exactly what’s wrong with them and what we need to do to help them out. All we have to do is just check our over-educated egos at the door and just shut up. It’s that simple! For this reason anytime a course attendee asks me for a physical therapist recommendation in their area I base my decision off four factors and I feel you should as well. 1. Pick someone that sees no more than one person per hour. Physical therapy is not unlike any other business. The saying “you get what you pay for” applies to physical therapy as well. Most physical therapy clinics do not publicize how many patients they see per hour. I doubt you are going to see a physical therapy clinic bragging about how they routinely treat 4 people at once. Let me put it to you this way. Would you go to an accountant that set up meetings with 4 different clients at the same time? Hopefully you answered no to this question or pray that you never get audited. So why is it ok for people treating your most important asset, your body, with less respect that your accountant gives to your tax preparation? I find that many of the physical therapists that treat patients in a one on one setting use a model known as fee-for-service or accept insurance on a very limited basis. The reason these physical therapists set up their practices this way is out of necessity. They refuse to sacrifice quality of care with their patients. Let’s be honest, healthcare is one of our nations biggest problems. So far, healthcare reform has done little or nothing to change it. Many medical physicians, dentists and physical therapists have started to reject accepting insurance. The reason why is it frees them up to treat patients the way they deserve to be treated. Medical providers with above average skills and a true passion for helping people are shifting to this model everyday. It’s good for the provider and it’s even better for the patient. It’s vital that you find someone that will treat you like they would want their own family to be treated. If you’re doing a quick Google search in your area use key words such as fee-for-service, out-of-network and cash based physical therapy. Also, you’re physician may refer you to a physical therapist specifically. Understand that you have a choice of where you go, knowledge is power so doing your own research can go a long way. 2. Pick someone that specializes in hands on treatment. We know that the act of physically putting your hands on someone is powerful! Think about when you go to the doctor. If they just stood their and looked at your, you wouldn't feel as comfortable as you would if they listened to you breath and your heart beat. They have to actively put their hands on your to do this and it's very reassuring. I can tell you this much, when I use my hands for physical therapy treatment, people get better dramatically faster. If you find yourself in a physical therapy clinic where all you get is a handout and they have you doing some useless leg extensions and then put a hot pack on your knee, you’re in the wrong place! Leave immediately and don’t turn back. Places like this give physical therapy as a profession a bad reputation. Here are some recommendations when looking at key words to find physical therapists that specialize in hands on treatment. Anyone that says they perform manual therapy is probably a good bet. Also, dry needling is a hands on treatment that works phenomenally well. Key words such as mobilizations, manipulations, soft tissue or fascia techniques are also all good to see. 3. Know what the alphabet soup means behind a name. I’ll give you an example of what I mean. My title is this, Danny Matta DPT, OCS, CSCS. To most of you that aren’t physical therapists it just looks like a bunch of random capitalized letters. What it actually means is that I have a Doctorate of Physical Therapy, I’m an Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach. It’s basically a bunch of letters that show I’ve passed some tough tests. Here’s the list of credentials you should look for if you are an athlete and looking for a physical therapist. OCS or SCS. These two are specialty board certifications through the American Physical Therapy Association and they are not easy to get. Either one of these credentials means the physical therapist has in depth knowledge of athletic injuries. FAAOMPT, MTC, COMT. These three are manual therapy certifications that show the provider has passed testing for hands on treatment. It takes a while to get these so most providers with these credentials should be a good choice. CSCS. This is an advanced strength and conditioning certification. This is the gold standard for someone that wants to be a high school, college or professional strength coach. If your physical therapist has this, it's a great fit for anyone playing a sport like tennis or training like CrossFit. 4. Lastly, ask your prospective physical therapist how much they can snatch. This is an easy one and is a take on a recommendation that Kelly Starrett has on mobilitywod.com. His recommendation is to ask your prospective physical therapist what their deadlift is. I’ll take this a step further and throw in an Olympic lift. If your prospect physical therapist doesn’t even know what lift the snatch is, you've called the wrong person. He or she is not the physical therapist for you. I'm not saying your PT needs to be able to snatch bodyweight but they should at least understand the movement and have done it before. If you’re a CrossFit athlete, many physical therapists will tell you to stop doing CrossFit. This is like telling a runner to stop running, it’s just not going to happen. Finding a physical therapist that understands your sport is vital. Hopefully you are healthy and you do not need to seek out a physical therapist. If you are injured I hope this blog post helps. No matter where you are in the country, you can apply these principles to picking the right PT to help you achieve your goals. If you're in the Atlanta area and have been struggling with an injury, we can help. You don't have to live in pain. You don't have to avoid activities you enjoy. We help people just like you everyday get back to the CrossFit gym, get back to playing with their kids and stop waking up every morning with pain.Take a look at our client testimonials here. If you're interested in learning more about how we can help you, we can set you up on a free 10 minute phone consultation with one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy. Thanks for reading. -Dr. Danny, PT, DPT
72 Comments
Charlie Boeyink MPT, OCS, CWC
4/4/2014 09:58:58 am
Good stuff, I own a cash practice in AZ and agree with most of what you said...except #2. I know a lot of MPTs that blow some DPTs out of the water ;-)
Reply
Danny Matta
4/4/2014 12:11:53 pm
Charlie, you're right. I'm taking that bullet out of my blog post. Thanks so much for reading. Continued progress in one's physical therapy skills is more important than a degree.
Reply
Preston Collins PT, DPT
4/4/2014 12:48:57 pm
Where's your practice? I am currently in a privately owned OP Ortho clinic in the Denver area but will be moving to Phx metro (grew up in Mesa) in the early Fall. :)
Reply
Danny Matta
4/4/2014 03:23:02 pm
Thanks for reading Preston. My practice is in Atlanta, GA. I have office space in CrossFit North Atlanta. Good luck with the move.
Andrew
4/4/2014 10:53:18 am
Danny, with all due respect to your initials after your name, it is very unprofessional to suggest that a PT is not worthy of treating patients without a DPT! Second, not all patients require manual therapy, thirdly, dry needling is not for all patients. Please Please be responsible when releasing information to the public. Thank you and good luck to you.
Reply
Danny Matta
4/4/2014 12:16:28 pm
Andrew, please see the reply I left for Charlie. That statement was unprofessional and I'm pulling in from the post. I don't want one sentence to ruin my true intent for this post.
Reply
Lorne Morrow
4/4/2014 12:59:00 pm
Your 4th point might be a tad narrow-minded. I am just a lowly trainer who owns a small-town gym and running shoe store. Google David Rudisha's coach to see what his PB is in the 800 metres. Given that he coaches the current world record holder, according to your perspective, he would have to be an exceptional runner himself. Some very brilliant and able people can work in a field without matching the talent that they work upon.
Reply
Danny Matta
4/4/2014 03:36:40 pm
Lorne,
Reply
Andrew Reed, PT
4/4/2014 01:26:02 pm
Danny, Thank you for your reply and Im encouraged you reconsidered that experience sometimes trumps a degree. Manual therapy is an excellent approach on certain patients; however, you will eventually realize that not all patients require or will benefit with manual therapy, and, certainly not every visit. Always nice to hear other peoples approaches to treating patients but to say that one treatment approach is the ultimate panacea may be shortsighted. Wish you the best and thanks for your reply!
Reply
4/6/2014 10:44:56 am
I love this writing! It's very straightforward info and is great with the public actually reading it.
Reply
Danny Matta
4/6/2014 12:05:46 pm
Joseph,
Reply
Patrick Muller PT, DPT
4/24/2014 01:37:09 pm
Danny, great article and finely written! Every day I try and educate and advocate for our profession and this 4 step process really does a great job. Keep up the good work!
Reply
Danny Matta
4/24/2014 02:43:54 pm
Thanks for reading Patrick! I get patients like the one you referenced fairly frequently now and it's great. Nothing is better than working with people that are highly motivated to get healthy! Thanks again.
Reply
8/27/2015 10:04:52 am
I am going to be having surgery on my knee soon, so I really appreciate the tips in this article! I think physical therapy can help someone recover much more quickly, but having a good therapist is super important. I think that if all people will follow these steps, they will be very happy with the results! Thanks for the information.
Reply
8/29/2015 04:19:07 am
June, thanks for your comment! Good luck with your surgery and let us know if we can help in any way.
Reply
9/2/2015 09:47:49 am
I am a huge runner, but I need physical therapy on my knees. I really don't want to stop running, and for that reason I really like the advice this gives about making sure the physical therapist understands my sport and that I am not wanting to stop. I have been debating between a few physical therapist, and I think asking them that "snatch" question will help me narrow it down to the one that I want. Thanks for sharing this information.
Reply
Danny Matta
9/2/2015 12:52:26 pm
June,
Reply
Stephen Hubbard
10/18/2015 11:33:23 am
Thanks for this great post - it give me hope that I could actually find a PT who could actually help me - and for all of your writings. I'm admired your approach to "open sourcing" this type of information. Keep it up!
Reply
Kristin
11/10/2015 03:07:06 pm
Unfortunately I do not agree with the amount of letters behind a name. I do not have any extra certifications and I would classify myself as a better therapist then some I've met that have an alphabet behind their name. Don't have patients look for letters. That's just about how much money you want to spend.
Reply
3/23/2016 09:40:52 pm
I appreciate your tip on picking a physical therapist who sees no more than one patient in an hour. It seems that seeing only one patient an hour would be a good sign that a therapist takes the time to really meet with the person and identify their needs. I've been having some back troubles recently so when I see a physical therapist I will be sure to take their scheduling into account.
Reply
Danny Matta
3/29/2016 01:54:01 pm
Great to hear that Jeff. Thanks for reading!
Reply
4/19/2016 11:31:25 pm
I like your tip on seeing a physical therapist that doesn't see more than one person per hour. I would imagine that if a professional takes the time to see each patient on an hourly basis it would probably give you more time to work out what is wrong with you. My back has been hurting and I've been meaning to see a physical therapist so I'll have to be sure to find one that only sees one patient per hour.
Reply
8/26/2016 09:15:28 pm
I liked your fourth tip about finding a physical therapist that understands your sport. If they do, it would be easier for them to relate and help you. You wouldn't want to go back if he kept telling you to stop playing it. I hope I can find a good physical therapist soon, my back has been killing me.
Reply
Jackie
10/10/2016 09:40:59 pm
Thanks for reading, Skyler! I hope that you can find a provider in your area that can help. Movement is medicine, so we encourage you to keep moving.
Reply
8/29/2016 12:54:43 pm
I really like your first point on picking a physical therapist who sees only one person per hour. Like you said, it wouldn't be right to have a physician that is treating you and others at the same time; it just makes no sense. Plus, in my opinion, the physical therapist is more likely to make a mistake in their treatment if they have their attention split like that.
Reply
Jackie
10/10/2016 09:42:32 pm
We agree, Maggie. The most effective treatment is one-on-one so the PT is able to put their hands on you, watch you move and listen! Thanks for reading
Reply
10/7/2016 08:56:05 pm
It really is interesting just how helpful it can be to find a physical therapist that actually specializes in using their hands to help with your treatment, especially if you want to get better faster. My brother-in-law had to go out and find one after a hunting accident and it definitely helped to have the therapist actually use his hands during the procedure. After all, if you're trying to repair a damaged muscle or bone then it helps to have the therapist actually show you physically where you should be focusing your effort.
Reply
Jackie
10/10/2016 09:45:07 pm
Thanks for reading! Hands on treatment is one of the most effective ways to make change with patients pain and symptoms. It helps us as PTs understand the unique experience of the patient and provide the best treatment!
Reply
11/21/2016 03:25:49 pm
My sister needs a physical therapist after her accident. Thanks for the information about how you should find out what all the letters after your therapist name mean so that you know what tests they have passed. I'll have to tell that to my sister so that shew can better know what she is getting into when picking a physical therapist.
Reply
12/15/2016 08:26:29 pm
I agree that finding a physical therapist that doesn't see people less than an hour can determine the quality you get. I can see how someone who needs a therapist would want them to spend an appropriate amount of time with them and not be rushed through the process. I would want to have someone that would care about my recovery and take the time to make sure I recover well.
Reply
3/27/2017 05:58:51 pm
You said that lots of physical therapists don't disclose how many patients they see. Maybe I should ask a professional for assistance when I need to print something. A professional might be able to help me find the right kind of physiotherapy clinic.
Reply
4/20/2017 07:17:55 pm
My son was recently injured while playing basketball. We want to make sure we find the right physical therapist for him to recover quickly. Thank you for the information on the importance of finding someone that specializes in hands-on treatment. Thanks for sharing!
Reply
Danny Matta
4/20/2017 07:49:47 pm
Thanks for commenting. I hope our recommendations are helpful.
Reply
5/3/2017 05:28:26 pm
I really thought what you said about choosing a physical therapist that really listens to your concerns to be terrific advice. My brother hurt his knee while skiing and was thinking about seeing a physical therapist. He's been a bit hesitant about getting help, so if they took the time to listen it would probably help him feel a lot better about seeking out assistance.
Reply
Danny Matta
5/4/2017 08:49:39 am
Hi Rachel,
Reply
5/8/2017 09:40:19 pm
I agree with the article, you should definitely try and find a physical therapist that specializes in hands on treatment. After all, you're most likely seeking out a physical therapist in order to get as direct a treatment as possible. In order to get that, you want a physical therapist that is actually willing to get physical and help you not just yell at you from the sidelines.
Reply
5/12/2017 10:07:22 pm
I like how you mention that you need to find a physical therapist that understands your sport. If you choose someone who understands your injuries, it could ensure you get the necessary treatment. When you're looking into different physical therapists, you'd probably want to meet them and talk about what types of injuries they specialize in.
Reply
9/13/2017 04:16:21 pm
I like that you mentioned to ask your therapist if he like to do hands on treatment. That way, you can feel confident that he has the experience and knowledge necessary to treat you the right way. I am trying to find a physical therapist for an injury I have had for a few months now. I will keep these tips in mind, thanks for sharing.
Reply
Danny
9/20/2017 08:46:46 am
Thanks for reading, Ernest. Good lucking finding a PT to help with your hand injury!
Reply
9/19/2017 06:56:29 pm
Thanks for letting me know that I should find a physical therapist who has either an OCS or SCS since these means they have a proper certification through the American Physical Therapy Association. I'm looking for a physical therapist who will be able to help me get over my knee injury in time for spring training. So to make sure I have the best, I will definitely be making sure the specialist I hire has a lot of knowledge about athletic injuries.
Reply
Danny
9/20/2017 08:45:45 am
Thanks for reading, Ashley! Good luck finding that PT.
Reply
9/21/2017 11:42:40 pm
I agree that checking how often someone sees patients would be really helpful. It would be good to find someone who is going to take time to see each patient. My brother needs a physical therapist, so he'll have to find someone who only sees about one patient an hour.
Reply
11/2/2017 12:37:22 pm
I like that you mentioned that "manual therapy" is a good indicator of a therapist's methods. I've been having a lot of back pain from an accident I had a few weeks ago, and have been considering seeing a physical therapist. Having someone that knows what they're doing and is committed to my health would be great!
Reply
I've been looking for some good physical therapy options, and I think that some good options would be good. I'm glad you talked about being able to pick someone who specializes in hands on treatment for physical therapy. I'll have to do some research and try to get some quality physical therapy help! Thanks!
Reply
Danny
1/4/2018 01:23:07 pm
Thanks for reading, Jordan! Finding a great PT will make a huge difference in your care. If you're in the Atlanta area, hit us up! If you aren't, check out Mobility WOD's MWOD List, https://www.mobilitywod.com/mwod-list-info/
Reply
1/8/2018 07:17:10 pm
Thanks for saying that you would want to consider if a physical therapist treats specific problems. It would be good to consider this because it would show that they are experienced. My brother is looking for a physical therapist, so he'll have to find one with the right kind of experience.
Reply
Dr. Danny
1/9/2018 10:59:40 am
Hey Hannah,
Reply
1/11/2018 09:41:38 pm
I liked that you had mentioned that when it comes to looking for a good physical therapist that it can be important to find someone that can devote their time to you and won't have to keep leaving. My son was recently hurt pretty badly while playing around with his friends and we're thinking about his recovery that he might need some physical therapy. We'll have to look around for a therapist that can devote their time to him and possibly offer outpatient help.
Reply
Dr. Danny
1/12/2018 08:51:45 am
Hi Roger,
Reply
1/12/2018 05:52:22 pm
Thanks for your comment about how your chiropractor should have a lot of power and know how to make you feel better. I like how you said that they should also be a reputable business. My husband and I are considering looking into qualified and professional chiropractors for our son because he needs treatment and physical therapy for a back problem that resulted from playing football.
Reply
1/17/2018 07:16:20 pm
I'm so glad you talked about finding a physical therapist who is very hands on! My uncle is looking to hire a physical therapist to improve this walking and running motion in his left knee. I'll be sure to talk to him about finding a professional who will sit with him and work with him instead of just giving him a handout.
Reply
1/18/2018 07:59:19 pm
I like how you say that you want to consider the skill level of a physical therapist. It would be good to consider this because it would show that they are qualified. My brother is looking for a PT, so he'll have to consider the skill level.
Reply
1/25/2018 07:12:14 pm
While some readers may not think of it as an issue I really like that the article encourages readers to choose a hands on physical therapist. After all, if you are going to get physical therapy then you want the therapist to actually help you. One of the best ways they can do this is to physically guide you and show you what you need to do.
Reply
2/21/2018 09:25:23 pm
Thanks for your comment about how you should choose a physical therapist that takes your insurance. I like how you said that they should be able to give a lot of attention to those who are injured. My husband got hurt swimming, and he is looking into physical therapy for help recovering.
Reply
Trevor D’Souza, PT, DPT
2/24/2018 04:56:14 am
I think the advice your giving is on track but less than half of the picture. An advanced therapist need not a higher degree, ability to dead lift more than others or an alphabet soup behind their name. The need experience, knowledge of evidence, a dynamic approach which is individualized and creative and command of all aspects of assessment, treatment and the ability to produce unmatched outcomes. It certainly isn’t limited to manual therapy! The PT needs to have mastered palpating, multiple manual approaches, behavioral training, modalities, biomechanics, diet and treatment methodologies not yet found in literature because they can shoot from the hip, think on their feet and develop new exercises, treatment strategies and practice at the tip of the spear. When I was a PTA that challenged the boards I got better outcomes than my supervising therapists most of the time even though I knew less and had a lot to learn. It is really about the individual and less about how educated, athletic or savvy someone appears on paper!!!
Reply
6/18/2018 03:33:56 pm
I like how you mentioned to be honest with your physical therapist, as it will help them know how to better treat you. My friend got injured playing sports and has been wondering how to choose a physical therapist. I'll share these tips with her, so she can make an informed decision.
Reply
6/26/2018 07:19:58 pm
It might not be the first thing on some people's minds, but the article makes a good point about choosing a physical therapist that does hands on treatment. After all, when you're undergoing physical therapy you are going to nee a lot of physical help. Because of this you do not want a therapist that will only instruct you from far away and refuse to get too involved.
Reply
6/29/2018 11:57:31 am
I like that you said you should pick a physical therapist that doesn't see more than one person per hour. This will ensure you have plenty of time to get the care you need. It shows that they provide quality over quantity.
Reply
8/28/2018 10:05:48 pm
This is some really good information about picking a physical therapist. It is good to know that it would be smart to pick one who understands that your sport is really vital to your life. That does seem like a good thing to know for a competitive athlete.
Reply
9/20/2018 10:05:56 am
I have been getting back pains ever since I started working out again, so thanks for sharing this. I like your point about choosing a physical therapist that has a hands-on approach. I will be sure to do this so I can get a feel for what is causing the pains and how to fix it.
Reply
11/7/2018 08:13:32 pm
I agree that you want to consider if a physical therapist is specialized in hands-on treatment. It would make sense to find someone that is properly specialized in order to know if they are right or not. My husband is looking for a physical therapist to help fix his back after a car accident, so we'll have to consider their specialization first.
Reply
11/26/2018 08:03:05 pm
Thanks for the tip about considering if a therapist specializes in hands-on treatment. It would make sense to find someone who does so in order to know they are qualified. My husband recently got injured while playing soccer, so he'll have to consider what kind of treatment a physical therapist specializes in before choosing them.
Reply
4/23/2019 08:58:03 pm
Thanks for these tips on how to find a good physical therapist. Finding someone who is covered by your healthcare would help you know they are going to be affordable. I'm looking for a physical therapist, so I'll have to check with my healthcare first.
Reply
5/6/2019 05:42:12 pm
Thank you for the tip about finding a physical therapist that performs manual therapy, or that they actually use their hands to diagnose and fix the problem. I have an injury from playing tennis, and I have been looking into going to a physical therapist to prevent it from getting worse. I will be sure to check that the physical therapist that I decided on practices hands-on medicine so that I can recover as fast as possible.
Reply
5/20/2019 02:30:55 pm
Thanks for these tips on how to find a physical therapist. It would make sense to find someone who is going to not hire more than one person per hour, as you say. My husband and I are looking for a physical therapist, so we'll have to check their qualifications first.
Reply
5/30/2019 05:41:45 pm
Thanks for these tips on how to find a physical therapist. It would make sense to find someone who is qualified and experience, as you suggest. My husband and I are looking for a physical therapist, so we'll have to check their experience first.
Reply
10/16/2019 02:49:11 pm
Thanks for explaining the different credentials of physical therapists. I need to find a pediatric physical therapy service for my son. Your article helped me feel prepared to evaluate potential therapists effectively.
Reply
10/31/2019 12:39:25 am
Keep up the great work! Thank you so much for sharing a great posts.
Reply
11/5/2019 03:45:47 pm
My knee has really been hurting me and when I went to the doctor they said that it was musculoskeletal in nature. When they recommended that I find a physical therapist, I realized that I had no idea what they do or how to go about finding one. I really appreciate the information you've provided on physical therapists and that to find a quality one I will need to look up the physical therapist on the state board and ask for reviews in my social circle.
Reply
1/30/2020 02:40:02 pm
I like how you mentioned that a hands-on treatment will help you get better faster. A couple of weeks ago my sister was telling me that she sprained her ankle pretty badly while going on her nightly run and that she wants to get physical therapy to feel better. I'll make sure to pass this information along to her so that she can know how to find a good physical therapist to help her.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
PT Knowledge
Dr. Danny and staff's views on performance improvement, injury prevention and sometimes other random thoughts. Categories
All
Archives
September 2020
|