Just because we are in a Lock-Down doesn’t mean your pain Locks Down! What is Virtual Care and how does that impact patient care?

Virtual Care, has become the new norm for patient care during the COVID lock down. This is the first time in history, physiotherapy services are almost exclusively being offered in a virtual setting vs. in-person.

Virtual Care is just like any other type of physiotherapy consultation with one major difference – it is provided through a webcam or cell phone camera and requires no actual hands-on treatment.

I will admit that when I first read about Virtual Care I was skeptical. As a Physiotherapist my hands have always been the “go to” tool I use to investigate and treat injuries. How could I possibly provide a valuable service to people without being able to physically interact with them? How could this lead to any real benefit at all?

As I thought about this a bit more I realized the most successful outcomes I have had were with patients that took ownership of their recovery. I am there to listen to you and then use investigative techniques to figure out the source of the problem and then act as a guide to help you overcome it – but ultimately how successful you are depends on how you help yourself. I realized that it was possible to provide value and real benefit through a virtual channel.

Now that I’ve completed a number of Virtual Care assessments and treatments I can see that the approach works. More details on my approach and how Virtual Care works in my next blog.

Thanks for reading.