I had a new client come in one day, look around the clinic, stop with a puzzled look on his face, and ask “Where is everybody else?” With an equally perplexed look on my face I replied with a very intelligent “Hunh?” It took me a few seconds to understand where that question came from. Then it hit me. He had been to another physiotherapy clinic where the therapist has four or five people there at the same time. Often these clinics are wide open with no privacy and even sometimes have large windows to the outdoors so anyone walking by can see the clients on the beds or doing their exercises. I have been told by other clients who have experienced this kind of setting that it feels like being treated in a fish bowl and that it made them feel very uncomfortable.
Once I figured all that out I explained that at our clinic we see one client at at time in a curtained or closed treatment area and that we spend the entire hour one-on-one. Still perplexed he asked “I get to see YOU for the entire hour? Well what are we going to do for all that time?” It saddens me when I hear this repeatedly. It makes me wonder, what did physiotherapists do before there were ultrasound machines, fancy equipment, physiotherapy assistants, and computer booking systems that are always happy to book multiple appointments at the same time? The answer, of course, is they used their hands and their brains. A lot. All the time. I am a firm believer that newer and more technologically advanced isn’t always better.
In the end I treated the client with not much more than my hands and my brains, as I always do. At the end of the hour he understood the difference this makes and left with less pain and better mobility. If this is the health care experience you are seeking, come and see us. Read more about our approach at https://www.mapphysiotherapy.ca We look forward to meeting you.