Season 1, Episode 11 - A Holistic Integrative Physical Therapy Model of Care

I’m excited to post this podcast because I’ve been working in clinical, rehab settings for nearly 20 years in very traditional settings, where the primary goal is pain management and “fixing the person’s broken part.”  I, like many people, including most physical therapists, assumed this was the norm..And then I met an exercise specialist named Joe Copeland, who introduced me to my friend, colleague, and co-host of our Medical Fitness Podcast, Dr. Thomas Hammett.  They flipped my world upside-down..This episode is a case study, where Thomas does most of the interviewing, and our guests are a few of his colleagues in Seattle, WA – two physical therapists and a PT assistant..The discussion revolves around a situation where they were also practicing in a traditional setting, and then were told that they needed to transition to a lifestyle medicine and wellness-based model, where their care would be integrated along with a dietitian and exercise physiologist..This case study is an example of how PTs can and should transition their practices to something like this.  It makes perfect sense, benefits everyone, and also increases revenue for the facility.  In the big picture, if every practice operated in this way it would have a SIGNIFICANT impact on public health..Physical therapy should be holistic and should serve as a pit stop to transition patients into long-term fitness and wellness..Please listen to how this is accomplished.  And if you’re interested in help with transitioning your practice to a more holistic, integrative medical model – or if you have any questions at all, including fitness professionals who would like to know how to get involved in something like this – don’t hesitate to reach out.  Helping people establish this type of practice is what we do..It’s models like this that fuel the fire for the passion that I have in connecting medicine, rehab, and fitness..Please visit MRFInstitute.org.Support the show