How Is Performance Physical Therapy Different From Traditional Physical Therapy?
You may have already experienced traditional physical therapy. How is this different?
Short answer is that not all physical therapy is the same. It’s an entirely different experience for you as the patient, and for us as providers.
From the vision or goal of physical therapy, to the types of intervention utilized during the sessions, and the desired level of activity, there are vast differences between traditional and performance physical therapy,
Traditional Physical Therapy vs Performance Physical Therapy
The Vision
In a traditional physical therapy setting, the sessions are focused solely on rehabilitating an injured body part and restoring your body to its previous baseline function. Sometimes, that’s enough and it’s satisfactory.
In Performance Physical Therapy, it is designed to go beyond just the pain and the injury. Reducing pain and healing from the injury are just the first steps of the process. To see long lasting changes, it is important to consider the root cause of the injury and ultimately raise the baseline capacity of the body, not just restore its function.
Treatments & Goals
In a traditional physical therapy setting, the structure of your sessions often include time for using heat or ice packs, electrical stimulation, and performing exercises that you can easily do at home. You may share your session time with 2-4 others scheduled in the same hour. The exercises and stretches provided are usually part of a standard program designed to address common issues. Additionally, you may spend a significant portion of your session with an aide, while the physical therapist oversees your progress.
With Performance Physical Therapy, the structure of your session is designed around your current status and specific goals. The initial focus is to reduce pain with manual therapy and therapeutic exercises. Then you work together with your doctor of physical therapy to find the right balance and combination of exercises that are targeted towards addressing your body’s needs. Lastly, these exercises are progressed over time to challenge your body to make specific adaptations required to meet the demands of your lifestyle and goals. They look more like an athletic training session, rather than a set of rehabilitation exercises pulling on bands and doing bridges.
Performance Physical Therapy and Traditional PT: Which to Choose?
When choosing between traditional and performance physical therapy, it is essential to consider your personal goals, the nature of your injury or condition and your desired level of activity post-recovery. Each type of therapy offers unique benefits and neither is a one-size fits all. By understanding these distinctions, you can choose the therapeutic approach that best aligns with your individual needs and goals.