Welcome to the future! Virtual therapy has been a growing trend in Australia and the middle east for several years but it has only recently come to North America in a large part due to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. One of the first things people often ask me is what is the difference between Virtual Physiotherapy, Online Physiotherapy, Digital Physiotherapy and Tele-Physiotherapy? The answer is…. NOTHING! These are all different ways to say the same thing. For the purposes of this post and the majority of the iClick Physio website we will use Virtual Physiotherapy or VP going forwards.
Okay, so now that we have got the confusing terms out of the way, let’s focus on what Virtual Physiotherapy is. An assessment and treatment using virtual physiotherapy is almost the same as a traditional session. The major difference is that your therapist will connect with you through our encrypted and HIPAA certified app (which means the government has deemed that it is safe to transmit your health information). Once you are connected you will be able to see your therapist and they will see you, just like any Facetime, Zoom or other videoconferencing platform. You don’t need to download the app if you are using a computer all you need to do is press a button and it will take you into your session. Just like a traditional assessment, VP will start with the therapist introducing themselves to you and explaining the flow of the session. Then it will transition to the typical subjective assessment (the interview part where they ask you what is wrong, how you feel now and any other past issues that have happened). After that the therapist will perform an objective assessment (the part where they watch how you move and do different tests). Once that is completed, the therapist will explain their diagnosis and work with you to develop a treatment plan.
With so many things the same, you might now be asking, what is different? The main thing is that the therapist cannot touch you through the internet. That means that if you are expecting a massage, like to have acupuncture, or, if you prefer to have machines as part of your treatment, you will miss that part (although most of my patients do not miss the acupuncture!). In place of these options though are self-release techniques and stretching to relieve tight muscles, acupressure points to help decrease inflammation and pain, exercise to make you stronger and education to help you understand what is wrong so that you don’t hurt yourself again and speed your recovery. You become a more active participant in your healing journey and ultimately, we work together to move past your injury and return to regular life.
Virtual physiotherapy is the way of the future and we are here to help you participate in this exciting new option. You can access our platform from almost any device that has the internet and a camera. If you want to find out more about Virtual Physiotherapy please contact the staff of iClick Physio through our contact form here. Or if you are ready to book your first assessment please click the button below.
We hope to see you soon!