An episode of pain or long term programmes – is it time to change the channel in the physiotherapy practice?move

TV has shown how it’s not all about the big screen. The same goes for contemporary movement management: to think it’s all about a movement screen doesn’t really do justice to modern movement management systems.

Here we take a brief look at how putting movement in your practice with TPM Pro will generate new audiences, raving fans and increase your repertoire of skills.

First ‘episode’ (of pain) & the ‘series’ of treatment

That first episode of pain counts; the thing that brings the patient to their door, clinicians will have the chance to make probably their biggest impression during the first encounter which the pain has inspired. A ‘series’ of treatment can be expected to follow, directed at managing the pain, ensuring the patient’s pain related wants are met.

Yet, even here we can consider how merely meeting the patient’s expectations may ‘typecast’ both the clinician and their client. Central to this issue is the topic of pain; the patient has it and expects the clinician to take it away. The patient may expect this to be done through some hands on, skilful ‘fix’ delivered by the therapist. If manual therapy is the clinicians tool of tool of choice, it is likely this interaction will keep both parties happy, initially.

Repeats/recurrence- seen this all before

However, if the cause of pain is closely tied to a movement related factor, manual therapy alone may be effective in the short term but what about recurrence? The patient who happily states, ‘my physio fixes me every time’ raises questions, generates a paradox. The same patient, with the same problem, the same strategy. The same expectations and result. Offering something more long term challenges expectations but also supplies opportunity to impact the long haul. This is where movement management can take centre stage.

Time to change the script?

Movement management challenges the mere meeting of expectation, questions the cycle of recurrence, in addition to supplying clinicians with the possibility of new audiences. Although pain is still managed in the first few sessions, the script is different, the storyboard of the client’s journey has a very different ending. Once the client is physically able their movement can be assessed and the issues related to the risk of recurrence addressed through highly tailored exercise. The movement management storyline throws a new twist into the patient/clinician dynamic; as manual therapy works alongside movement retraining, and ownership of the ‘fix’ begins transfers from clinician to client. This version of putting movement into practice considers the pain to performance model, yet movement management also opens the clinician’s door to those without pain who are seeking out a prevention route, a performance enhancement goal rather than just pain relief.

New roles for clinicians and long term programmes for clients

Alongside their manual therapy skills this new role of movement management also requires new skills; the use of a whole body movement assessment that identifies how, not if a client achieves functional benchmarks. And there’s more. Clinicians need to prioritise movement deficits with respect to client’s goals, preferences, previous issues, and design programmes, that target these goals with exercises bespoke to their achievement. There is also the need to develop the ability of exercise delivery, changing how people move, restoring the movement options they can no longer access, to give more choice in life, for life. The educational process supporting TPM Pro ensures these skills are acquired.

A box set of movement management

Ticking the box of putting movement in to the practice covers a lot of bases. From pain to performance, from prevention to participation. Becoming a ‘one stop movement shop’ means not only attracting a wide range of clients it also supplies the tools to keep them. Recurrent pain patients, become recurrent paying clients. Watch this space as just like your clients, this story is going to run and run.

who values movement