Physiotherapy has today become an essential part of life for many people, but the Covid-19 pandemic has made it challenging by limiting people’s search for talented physiotherapists to around or within their localities. To top that off, a number of doctors have stopped practising temporarily, considering the relentless spread of the virus keeping in mind the health of their own loved ones. Some of the clinics are only seeing the urgent cases while others have shut shop until further notice. But you’d be relieved to know that virtual therapy has proven to be just as effective as in-person physiotherapy sessions, saving millions all over the world from the pain and restricted movement.
Virtual therapy is nothing but a digital therapy session or teletherapy, as some call it, where you have access to your physiotherapist virtually through a computer and internet connection. The physio can assess your injuries and grievances, conduct a series of tests and understand your condition completely to then customise a recovery plan for you. But it doesn’t end there. While this alone would be a great achievement for medical science, technological advancements have further surpassed expectations.
Physiotherapy services today have taken the consumer’s convenience up a level, studying the two main pain points almost every physiotherapist complains about – Accountability, and the lack of stretching and exercises done between sessions, which in turn slows down recovery drastically. Through online physiotherapy, physiotherapists can now automate the entire process once they’ve successfully assessed the patient and finalised the plan for their treatment.
Among the many benefits of modern digital physiotherapy are the user-friendly nature and convenience now offered. With the pandemic coming into the fray, different apps and service providers have gained popularity mainly because they allow the patients to access their exercises and physiotherapists from the comfort of their homes. Recent studies have also shown that there’s no difference in output when the patient exercises at home as compared to visiting the physio because technology today has made it possible for these companies to use different techniques like AI to track movements or help with form.
This sort of care is more patient-centric, and hence is obviously gaining popularity!
This Virtual care model for physiotherapy has proven to be extremely useful for those who cannot leave their homes or have mental health issues or are prone to the virus due to some form of comorbidities. The convenience experienced is almost unmatched, where you not only save the time and money you’d otherwise spend just travelling to and from your physio’s clinic but also help the doctors manage a whole lot more patients with a clear online log of their issues and levels of progress. This streamlines the entire process, ensuring that the patients are recovering as planned and doing their part in the recovery process daily by logging onto the digital platform to perform exercises at whatever time suits them.
Long day at work? No electricity all day? No more excuses skipping the boring (but extremely effective and necessary) physio lessons anymore! This is just the tip of the iceberg. With technology advancing the way it is, we’re going to be seeing a whole lot more people glued to screens with posture issues in need of correction and physiotherapy. But the same technology is simultaneously pushing the boundaries of medical science to make treatment more affordable, accessible and effective for the everyday patient.
The writer is the CEO of Phyt.health.