The 6 Major Differences Between Traditional and Non-traditional Physical Therapy

“What are the benefits of non-traditional PT, and why shouldn’t I just go where my doctor refers me?” 

At Arancia Physical Therapy, we have spoken to a lot of patients lately who have been asking about the benefits of specialized physical therapy in comparison to traditional physical therapy and why doing your own research matters. In this blog, we’re going to highlight the 6 major differences between specialized physical therapy and the traditional model, and look at who is best suited for. 

1 – Shorter Waiting Times and Longer Treatment Time!

The first major difference between private PT and traditional PT is the amount of time you are seen by your therapist and the amount of time you spend waiting to get in. Due to the challenges and immense pressure on the healthcare system, we have spoken to patients who have been left frustrated with the long wait times not just to get an appointment, but even once you arrive to your appointment!

Whilst we completely sympathize, this is affecting people just like you, who are suffering with severe pain, urgent complications, and discomfort that should not be holding you back for another second! Therapists at traditional clinics are required to fit in as many patients as possible which means double booking, even triple booking! 

At a clinic like ours, you will be seen one on one with your therapist for an hour. This makes for a better understanding of your body, your goals, and makes for a more successful visit! Would you rather spend most of your time with the person with a doctorate that knows your body and your condition, or with an aide or assistant? 

2 – No One-Size-Fits-All Treatment

As well as being able to see an expert sooner and longer, all of our team are highly experienced in your exact areas of concern and will take the time to listen to your individual needs and history. We know that we are not all built the same, have lived the same experiences, and have the same goals. Therefore, we should not be treated the same.

Once you have discussed your concerns, they have evaluated and seen what’s going on through their expert lens, your physical therapist will explain in a straight-forward, jargon-free way what the issue is, and offer you a specifically designed treatment plan that is unique to you. This means you can leave your assessment with a concrete plan in place to get you to your goals, rather than the typical medical run around. 

Due to time constraints within the traditional healthcare system, most patients we speak to have been to several other doctors or therapy appointments and still don’t understand what the root of the issue is because no one has taken the time, or care to explain things to them. If they have gotten some blanket “answers”, they feel like they’re treated as a statistic rather than an individual.

At our clinic, we would much rather get to the root cause of WHY you are in pain or discomfort, rather than put a band aid on a symptom you are experiencing. We know from working with patients that the key to lifelong success is tuning into your body and getting down to the source of the problem.

3 – People First Patient Second

The third major difference between non-traditional and traditional physical therapy, is that we truly care about you as a person, before seeing you as a patient. We love to learn about the lives of our patients, their likes, dislikes, their aspirations, hobbies, interests, etc. We take the time to get to know you which only adds to your success when you share a bond and a connection with your therapist.

Just as well, when you call our office during office hours you will never have to listen to that annoying waiting music or initial message. You will just hear Caeley! Our front desk and client care coordinator. Here is what Caeley has to say about connecting with our patients and potential patients over the phone:

“Having been a patient at more traditional medical office myself, I love that I can deliver top quality service to anyone who calls our office. The best part of my job is getting to speak and connect with people as soon as they reach out to me. Whether it’s a patient I have become familiar with or someone I am just getting the opportunity to speak to, it’s always a pleasure to be able to give personalized care even without being in the clinic!”

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4 – One-On-One Treatment 

In our clinics, you will receive one-on-one appointments with hands-on treatment from our expert physical therapists, which gives you the absolutely best chance of recovering from injuries sooner, reducing pain faster, and improving your quality of life quicker. Compare this to the traditional model, which only about a fraction of the time you spend with your therapist will they really be able to give you hands on care before passing you off to an aide or tech for some exercises without explaining what they are for. 

The cost of this is that it is likely to take longer to diagnose your problem, and much longer to treat the root cause which means you are left in pain or granted some temporary relief that is destined to come back since the root cause was not addressed. This is to no fault of these therapists, they just aren’t able to give the time or the energy to every single patient with their over-booked schedules.

5 – Accessibility 

We pride ourselves on the first-class service that every single member of our team delivers, and we know from our patients’ stories, that this is a drastic difference to the service you will receive with traditional healthcare. Along with this, we’re easier to contact with our phone lines open every weekday, so we’re on hand whenever you need to speak to us. Not only this, but we are available by text and email to all patients so we can be kept up to date on any concerns, progress, or be available to answer questions as soon as possible.

Some of our patients have mentioned how helpful it has been to be able to text and ask about last-minute openings when they have had a setback, something most offices would not be able to provide. 

6 – Lifelong Healing (Not Just a Quick Fix) 

The final major difference between specialized physical therapy and the traditional model, is that you receive treatment that is designed to get you back to your goal, not just basic functioning.

With private physical therapy, there is no restrictions to the number of sessions that you can take, and this means that we are able to work with you to create a detailed treatment plan that will get you as healthy as possible. Essentially, we work for YOU and not for some insurance company that’s main goal is to save money. In a traditional physical therapy setting, you may be limited in the number of sessions you are allowed (even if you need more to fully recover), or your sessions are stopped once you reach a low baseline of recovery. 

The traditional model can feel a box ticking exercise, and it is unlikely that you will be treated to the point that you are back to running, biking, jumping without leakage, etc. Instead, you will be treated until you can be ticked off their list and discharged no matter where that really leaves you. 

Who Is Specialized Physical Therapy Best Suited For? 

So, we have covered 6 major difference between traditional and non-traditional physical therapy, and we hope that we have helped you understand the advantages of going private. 

We would recommend that you reach out to our team if you want: 

• To be seen within a few days, rather than a few months 
• To avoid surgery and medications
• To finally discover the root cause of your pain or injury, and receive an easy to understand, personalized treatment plan 
• To get the best results possible with face-to-face appointments and hands-on treatment 
• To be listened to, and have the opportunity to ask questions in a relaxed environment

If you feel like specialized care is right for you, you can give our office a call at (401) 602-7006, or email us at info@aranciapt.com.

The Dangers of Waiting 

With the current waiting times, a quick fix injury can easily become a more life- altering injury. A stiff neck from sitting at a desk all day can easily develop into chronic pain that gives you headaches, affects your sleep, or is just a daily nuissance. Back pain can lead to long-term issues with your posture and could eventually affect your entire body. We want to help people avoid medication and surgery before it gets to that point. It’s frightening to know that simple injuries can quickly turn into something more serious that could require help for a longer length of time, so make sure that you consider this when thinking about your route of treatment.