What Is Performance Based Physical Therapy?
What, exacly, is performance based physical therapy? And why is it different from “regular” physical therapy? If you’ve sat around doing stereotypical exercises utilizing a theraband, come in twice per week performing the same exercises over and over again, or maybe received some e-stim, ultrasound, or massage, followed by a hot or cold pack… odds are that you did not do performance based physical therapy. There are two important qualities of performance based physical therapy that separate us from standard, mill-run, physical therapy clinics. They are sport or task-specific rehabilitation and achieving performance that surpasses your prior level of injury. Sadly, this type of physical therapy is uncommon and underrepresented in the world of health care. However, there are practices that have dedicated themselves to offering this highest standard of care. And we at The PATH Rehab & Performance, are proud to say, are performance based physical therapists.
For athletes, or anyone who has an inclination of accomplishing any type of physical goal, specificity is extremely important. If you are an Olympic lifter or CrossFitter, you need to rehabilitate with a barbell. If you are a golfer, you needto rehabilitate with a golf swing. If you are a soccer player, you need to rehabilitate on a field, with sprinting and cutting and pivoting. Am I painting a clear picture? Mat-based exercises cannot possibly get you to PR your clean and jerk without pain. High level activity requires a PT that understands highly complex and ballistic movements. Understanding and progressing these essential movements is not only essential to progressing in rehab, but also for avoiding further injury. If your PT does not understand your sport or high-quality athletic movement, they have no business rehabilitating you.
Next, performance based physical therapists are rarely satisfied with “prior level of function.” Insurance only cares if you are functional. Generally, insurance does not give two hoots if you have back pain when you reach 80% of your one-rep deadlift max. We’ve heard it too often. Medical doctors telling you to just stop lifting heavy or just stop running. Performance based PTs value these essential tasks because they’re important to you! If you are limited in your sport or activity due to pain, our job is for you to not only succeed, but surpass your goals, and give you the tools to manage these issues for a lifetime. By treating the whole person (and not just the diagnosis or pain), we work as a team to level you up. These are qualities that are not found at every physical therapy clinic.
So, if you actually have to question if your prior or current physical therapy clinic honors these values, chances are… they don’t. Performance based physical therapy is always concierge and individualized, sport-specific, and tailored to your high-level goals. Don’t settle for less because the establishment has set a low status-quo, because insurance doesn’t want to pay for more, or because your referring provider wants you to just stop. Instead, we highly encourage you to dream big and crush your goals. If you are having pain or limitations with your athletic or activity goals, consider a free 30 minute phone consultation with the doctors at The PATH Rehab & Performance. From there we can discuss symptoms, goals, and answer any questions and/or concerns you may have. Because you deserve more than the status quo.
Dr Cody Benavides
PT, DPT, TPI cert
Co-Owner | The PATH Rehab & Performance
