Virtual Physical Therapy: Best Practices for Best Outcomes
The rise of digital care is transforming the healthcare landscape, and as a physical therapist, you may find yourself navigating new territory. Adapting to virtual physical therapy (PT) can feel like a big change—but it’s one that brings significant benefits for both you and your patients. By supplementing traditional in-person care with virtual options, you can meet the growing demand for more flexible, accessible, and convenient care. In fact, 80 percent of patients now prefer interacting with their healthcare providers digitally (and those patients aren’t limited to Gen Z).
Virtual PT isn’t about replacing the hands-on work you do with patients; it’s about expanding your toolkit to better serve them. Patients today are seeking remote options because they offer the flexibility to receive care without the barriers of travel, time constraints, or scheduling conflicts. The pandemic accelerated these expectations, with many patients now expecting remote care to be a standard option.
This shift presents a unique opportunity for PTs to enhance patient outcomes through innovative approaches while maintaining the effectiveness of conventional therapy methods. With virtual physical therapy, you can monitor patient progress in real-time, make timely adjustments to care plans, and maintain ongoing communication that keeps patients engaged and motivated. By integrating these tools into your practice, you can provide the best of both worlds—high-quality in-person care supported by the flexibility and reach of digital solutions.
In this article, we’ll explore how virtual physical therapy works, when it should be used, and how it fits into the broader landscape of physical therapy models. By understanding these components, you can optimize your practice and offer your patients personalized, effective care that meets their evolving needs.
What Is Virtual Physical Therapy?
Virtual physical therapy involves delivering physical therapy services remotely using technology such as video conferencing, phone calls, or specialized apps. This model allows PTs to assess, diagnose, and treat patients from a distance, providing a flexible option for those facing barriers to in-person visits, such as geographic location, mobility issues, or scheduling constraints.
The primary advantage of virtual physical therapy is its convenience and accessibility. Patients can receive care from the comfort of their homes, eliminating the need for travel and reducing time away from work or other responsibilities. Virtual physical therapy also enables PTs to reach a broader patient base, including those in remote or underserved areas.
When Should Virtual Physical Therapy Be Used?
As a PT, the first step in adopting the virtual physical therapy model is recognizing that it can be a valuable asset to your practice. With the normalization of telehealth across many fields, patients now expect digital or remote care options, with 61 percent saying they would consider switching to a provider who offers digital care.1
Embracing this shift in patient expectations is crucial to staying relevant and providing comprehensive care. However, the key to effectively integrating virtual physical therapy is recognizing when you should implement it. Most conditions can be treated using virtual care or a combination of in-person care and virtual check-ins between visits. When deciding whether to implement a virtual approach, you must consider:
Patient Condition
Virtual physical therapy is particularly effective for managing chronic conditions that require ongoing attention, such as low back pain, arthritis, or post-surgical rehabilitation. For patients with more acute or complex conditions, a hybrid approach may be more appropriate, combining in-clinic visits for hands-on care with virtual sessions to monitor progress and maintain engagement between visits.
Access and Convenience
For many patients, virtual physical therapy provides a flexible alternative to in-person visits, particularly when frequent follow-ups are necessary. Due to that, the virtual PT model can be especially beneficial for patients who face logistical challenges, such as those living in remote areas, those with transportation difficulties, or busy schedules.
Hands-On Requirements
One of the primary considerations for PTs when deciding on virtual care is the nature of the interventions required. Conditions that require hands-on techniques or specialized equipment, such as manual therapy or therapeutic modalities, may be best addressed in-clinic. Patients with these needs can still benefit from hybrid care, where virtual sessions are used for education, exercise progression, and check-ins between hands-on treatments.
Mobility and Technological Capabilities
The patient’s mobility and comfort with technology are also important factors to consider. Patients with severe mobility impairments may find it challenging to perform certain exercises or maneuvers without the direct assistance of a therapist. Additionally, technological barriers, such as lack of access to a reliable internet connection, can hinder the effectiveness of virtual physical therapy.
That said, it’s important to avoid assumptions—especially regarding older patients and their willingness and ability to use technology. Many older adults are adopting tech and using it regularly, meaning they can be engaged in virtual PT just as effectively as younger patients. Based on internal MedBridge data, older adults have the highest activation rates for digital programs, with 63 percent of patients aged 60 to 79 activating their programs.
So, When Should PTs Use Virtual Physical Therapy?
Virtual physical therapy is particularly suitable when a patient’s condition can be effectively managed remotely, and the benefits of convenience and accessibility outweigh the need for in-person interventions.
One of the key strengths of virtual physical therapy is its flexibility—it can take many forms, from fully virtual telehealth appointments to self-guided pathways, or a combination of digital and in-person care. This adaptability allows you to choose the most effective option for each patient’s specific needs, ensuring that virtual physical therapy can be seamlessly integrated into practice to complement in-person care. In this way, virtual PT serves as a powerful tool to enhance the therapeutic alliance between visits, keeping patients engaged and supported throughout their treatment journey.
What Other Physical Therapy Models Are There?
Understanding how virtual physical therapy fits into the broader landscape of physical therapy is crucial to diversify your practice and offer comprehensive care.
- In-Person Physical Therapy: The most traditional and well-known model, in-person physical therapy has historically been the default option. In-person visits are appropriate for conditions that require hands-on techniques or specialized equipment. For acute injuries or post-operative recovery, in-person visits are essential for a detailed physical examination and manual therapy, which cannot be replicated virtually.
- Fully Virtual Physical Therapy: Many practices now offer fully virtual physical therapy options. These programs, often using telehealth platforms, allow patients to receive care entirely remotely. While fully virtual care offers convenience and accessibility, it’s most used for patients with lower-acuity chronic conditions that don’t require hands-on interventions, such as ongoing management of mild musculoskeletal issues.
- Self-Guided Physical Therapy Programs: For patients with low-acuity chronic conditions, self-guided therapy programs provide a structured and convenient way for patients to manage their care independently. These programs are particularly effective when overseen by a physical therapist who monitors the patient’s progress and makes adjustments as needed. The key to success in these models is ensuring regular check-ins and therapist involvement to maintain patient engagement and optimize outcomes.
Hybrid Physical Therapy: The Best of Both Worlds
Each physical therapy model offers distinct advantages—whether it’s the hands-on approach of in-person visits, the convenience of fully virtual care, or the independence of self-guided programs. For many patients, the most effective solution comes from combining these approaches.
Hybrid care begins with in-person sessions to establish rapport, conduct assessments, and deliver hands-on care, followed by virtual sessions for ongoing monitoring, patient education, and progression of home exercise programs (HEPs). Hybrid PT can enhance patient engagement, accommodate various patient needs, and offer cost-effective care by reducing the need for frequent in-person visits while maintaining high-quality treatment.
When it comes to this hybrid physical therapy model, MedBridge’s Pathways equips you with digital tools to create customizable care plans, monitor patient progress remotely, and deliver continuous patient education. Rather than disrupting the clinician-patient relationship, Pathways enhances it by empowering PTs to offer a seamless blend of in-person and virtual care. This cutting-edge platform helps you deliver a modern, convenient care experience while improving health outcomes. By supplementing traditional care with digital tools, like motion capture and virtual triaging, Pathways also increases your capacity to treat more patients, all while reducing workload and ensuring personalized, consistent care tailored to each patient’s needs.
Embracing the Future of Physical Therapy
As the field of physical therapy continues to evolve, staying informed about emerging models and best practices is crucial for delivering optimal patient care. MedBridge provides a comprehensive suite of digital tools and resources to help you navigate this changing landscape and enhance your practice. You can explore our virtual and hybrid care solutions to learn more about integrating these innovative approaches into your practice.
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