Our world has greatly changed due to COVID-19. Rehabilitation is no exception.
A strained back, a joint dysfunction, a torn ligament, and recouping from joint surgery, could take longer to heal and carry a risk of poor recovery without rehabilitation.
Attending therapy is now a very personal decision. Many patients question if it is safe to return to physical therapy. Other individuals want to wait and delay care.
If you’re asking doctors and rehab experts, they say it depends on the nature of the injury/condition, your medical history, and your comfort with leaving home isolation and venturing into a therapy center.
The big question: Should Physical Therapy Treatment Be Postponed?
According to experts, waiting for care is not ideal. Most orthopedic and neurologic problems seen in a rehab setting tend to increase in challenge as time goes on and many believe that delaying treatment could lead to poor recovery after surgery and long-term problems afterwards.
To reduce the spread of COVID during vital therapies, clinicians know procedures. They follow all social distancing precautions, limit the number of people in the waiting room and therapy center, clean all equipment with medical grade disinfectant that kills COVID-19, and closely monitor CDC (Centers for Disease Control) guidelines and adjust protocols as new information becomes available.
Advanced therapy clinics know that people are in harm’s way of the effects of isolation – research shows that isolation turns to loneliness – loneliness advances dementia, deteriorates physical health and shortens life spans.
“When you’ve been cooped up for months, therapy provides a much-needed human connection. Many of our seniors have had unfortunate declines physically and psychosocially. I think the importance of our seniors “getting out and about” is often underestimated. ” says Geoff Fraser, partner of Clear Choice Health Care.
“We are social creatures — designed to eye gaze, hand hold, laugh — and our bodies and brains are rewarded when we do this,” says Dr. Schwartz on Sharp.com. “When we don’t or feel we can’t, we do not feel like ourselves.”
Ultimately, attending physical therapy in the wake of COVID-19 can be beneficial in treating acute and chronic issues alike, although the exact method of delivery will likely depend on a person’s medical history and comfort level.
Geoff Fraser is a partner at Clear Choice Health Care and also co-owner of Dolphin Pointe Health Care. Dolphin Pointe Health Care played a key role in protecting the elderly from COVID-19 in partnership with the state of Florida.