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Writer's pictureDr. Joseph Damiani, PT

Telehealth. How to live Pain-Free from Home!

Updated: Sep 29, 2020


telehealth physical therapist, skyline physical therapy, wyckoff, new jersey

In simple terms, Telehealth appointments are getting your healthcare over the phone. I know what you're thinking, how can a phone or video call possibly come close to seeing my provider in person. Well, you would be surprised how much your Doctor of Physical Therapy or other healthcare provider is using soley the information your provide verbally (vs. physical tests) to come up with effective treatments for you. To keep this conversation streamlined, let's specifically talk about Physical Therapy.


To be clear, all physical therapy evaluations or treatments are definitely best done in person. There is so much data that must be collected not only verbally but also physically that nothing will ever come close to as effective as an in person evaluation. However, sometimes certain circumstances like umm... A Coronavirus Pandemic!...can make that difficult. So that's where Telehealth comes in to play.


If you are already on a physical therapy plan of care and don't want to go into the clinic due to Coronavirus or some other reason, you can set up a Telehealth appointment and speak with your therapist via regular phone call or video call for treatment. The purpose of physical therapy, is for the physical therapist to identify the problem, treat it with hands on therapy and simultaneously teach the patient how to manage their injury on their own. It's like the old saying, "Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you've fed him for a lifetime."


Of course being in the clinic, and getting hands on treatments is the ideal way to improve and rehabilitate. Nothing will ever replace that to achieve back pain relief, knee pain relief, TMJ pain relief, neck pain relief or any other injury. However, there are many self-treatments that can assist you to improve while you are unable to see your physical therapist in person. That's why when a patient is out of town, we give them physical therapy exercises (or a home exercise plan) to do until they return. The problem is that after several days, your body or the symptoms may change, and the existing exercises may no longer be helping you, in fact they could be giving you more back pain, knee pain, neck pain, TMJ pain or any other pain! That is why a good physical therapist asks so many questions about your symptoms every visit... to ensure that everything done during your treatment is the absolute most targeted technique for your body at this exact moment in time.


This is the same reason why Telehealth appointments are so necessary if you are unable to make it in to the clinic. They allow the physical therapist to collect the necessary information to properly modify your exercises or self-treatments as most effective ones for you at this moment. One to two calls a week can be all it takes to keep you progressing in the right direction. Without these telehealth appointments, it's like turning off your GPS during your drive to a new destination. You just made the trip longer and put unnecessary wear and tear on your vehicle!


If you have not begun physical therapy but are developing pain or sustained a new injury, a telehealth appointment can also be a consultation with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. As previously mentioned, nothing will ever beat an in person evaluation but if that's not an option, an in-depth video or audio consultation can give the physical therapist enough information to prescribe effective home treatments. There is absolutely no need to suffer or abandon your body during uncertain times like these. Doing so reminds me of being on a diet, eating one cookie, and convincing yourself that you already blew the diet, you might as well finish the bag. Noo! One setback (like Coronavirus) is not EQUAL to a long series of setbacks (giving up on your body).  Telehealth is an excellent option to continue your journey towards living your fullest life without back pain, knee pain, neck pain, TMJ pain or any other pain.


At my clinic Skyline Physical Therapy located in Wyckoff, NJ we are open AND we are providing Telehealth services as well. A major benefit to being seen here at Skyline Physical Therapy is that all sessions are 1 on 1, meaning there are only two people, you and the therapist, in the clinic at any time. This means the clinic is very sterile compared to your run of the mill clinic with 10-40 people there at any given time (not to mention the fact that you just don't get the proper attention in those types of clinics when your therapist has to see 3 patients at a time)...but I've digressed. I hope you've found this helpful and now understand the importance of Telehealth!


Watch this quick video to see what a Telehealth Appointment is like:


To LEARN MORE about Telehealth services offered at Skyline Physical Therapy located in Wyckoff, NJ, contact us at (201) 485-6114 or info@skylinept.com.


To set up a Free Telehealth Consultation Click Here:


To apply for a FREE in person Discovery Session Click Here: https://www.skylinept.com/discovery-session.






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