Feeling frsutrated about your last physio session?
Odd title, right? Unfortunately, it’s a commonly heard statement from people who have had a poor experience with physiotherapy. We’ve received a number is new patients who have gone through this very same thing – over and over again.
They walk into a clinic for their scheduled appointment, are greeted by their physio, get connected to a series of pads and wires, and receive electrical impulses for 10 to 30-minutes while their therapist bounds off to do the same with other patients. The session typically concludes with a few stretches and movements, followed by a few minutes on a bike. Their therapist appears periodically throughout. Don’t forget to pay the receptionist at the desk before you leave.
Sound familiar?
The machine you’ve been attached to is called a Transcutaneous electrical neuromuscular stimulation (TENS). If being plastered to TENS comprises the bulk of your physiotherapy sessions and you receive little hands-on engagement from a physiotherapist then it’s probably time to visit another clinic. But first, here’s what you need to know.
Why the “Machine and Walk Away” Experience Means it’s Time to See a New Physiotherapist
TENS is Not a Cure
The TENS machine helps mitigate any pain you may be feeling during the session, and may provide some short-term relief after the fact. However, let’s be clear – TENS is not a cure for pain, nor is it a treatment plan in itself. It may be included as a part of your treatment plan, especially in the early phases of an injury or post-surgery recovery when pain can keep you from performing in-clinic movements and exercises with a physiotherapist.
Walked Away? Walk Away
The concluding statement above (movements and exercises w/a therapist) is where the recovery actually begins. If a physiotherapist indeed put you on a machine and walked away to attend to other patients, they are not doing their job. You (or your extended health care plan) have paid good money to a physiotherapist to get help for a acute or chronic pain. You should not have to share them with another patient who is in the clinic at the same time as you. There is no “Uber Pool” of physiotherapy, or at least they’re shouldn’t be.
Instead, your physiotherapist should work closely with you throughout each and every session. If they do put you on a TENS for a short period of time, they should use that time to speak with you to discuss your goals along with progress and challenges you may be experiencing thus far. From there you will embark upon a series of intense (within your capability, that is) movements, stretches, exercises and dedicated treatments with them at your side throughout. If you don’t leave a session feeling like you’ve done empowering work with a partner to guide the way, then you’re in the wrong place. To reiterate, if they put you on a machine and walk away, it’s time for you to walk away.
Never again leave a physiotherapy session wondering if it was worthwhile. If located in the Greater Vancouver area, schedule a consultation at our Burnaby clinic and experience the Absolute difference, today.