Help! I Don't Like My Physical Therapist (or Other Healthcare Provider)

The majority of physical therapists do want to provide good care and good customer service. If a therapist does not know you are not pleased with the service, he or she will not change.

THE FITNESS PRIORITY Kristin McNealus, PT, DPT, ATP received her Masters in Physical Therapy from Boston University then went on to earn her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from MGH Institute of Health Professions. She has been a staff physical therapist on inpatient rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injuries at a number of hospitals in Southern California, as well as Director of a community adaptive gym for people with neurological injuries. She is a member of the International Network Spinal Cord Injury Physiotherapists, and has contributed to the APTA Guidelines for Exercising with a SCI. She has completed three marathons, and 25 triathlons, including the Ironman! SCI Total Fitness is designed to promote health and wellness for people with physical disabilities.

There are a number of reasons why you may not like your physical therapist. Personalities may not gel. Maybe you do not like the treatments the therapist is having you do. Or perhaps you do not think your therapist is helping you as much as you expected. This is not a fun situation, right? You know you need to have physical therapy and, depending on your health care coverage, you may not have many options of therapists who are contracted with your insurance. So, what do you do?

This can obviously be true if the person is providing care to your child or loved one, not just yourself. We are not always only advocating for ourselves.

Take some time to think about what it is that is not meeting your expectations. Also, remember that the way the system is set up, physical therapists are counting on the home exercise program to be completed between skilled therapy sessions. I know that this can seem tedious, but if you or your loved one has four or more days per week without skilled sessions, it will be difficult to make significant gains without doing the recommended exercises/ stretches on the other days.

First, have a conversation with the therapist. If it is a personality conflict, this can be difficult to talk through. Just be honest and ask if there are any other therapists who you could work with to "explore other styles." You could always talk to the supervisor, but talking directly to your therapist first will minimize awkwardness.

If you do not enjoy the treatments, tell your therapist. PT is not likely to be a party, but if it feels like a chore, you are less likely to stick with it to achieve your goals. Your therapist wants to help you reach your goals, so finding alternative treatment options would behoove both of you. Having an honest conversation can get both of you onto the same page.

Sometimes therapists get into a rut when they treat the same diagnosis for years, so challenging them to get creative with you might throw them off initially. Yet, more often than not, they will secretly be excited to mix it up. Do not get upset – with experience, therapists have narWE CAN WORK IT OUT: If you do not enjoy the treatments, tell your therapist. Physical therapy is not likely to be a party, but if it feels like a chore, you are less likely to stick with it to achieve your goals. pist. If it is a personality conflict, this can be difficult to talk through. Just be honest and ask if there are any other therapists who you could work with to "explore other styles." You could always talk to the supervirowed their tool box to the interventions with which they have seen the best results. I should mention that some treatments are decided based on insurance reimbursement.

I have written other pieces about the bind some clinics are in because coverage is constantly getting cut and more hoops to jump through are added. You might consider asking if this is impacting your treatment plan. Lastly, if you do not think your therapist is helping you as much as you were expecting, start asking questions. Ask the therapist to explain how the treatment plan was developed and why you are doing each exercise or modality. Ask how you can expect to progress to more challenging activities. There may be a difference between your expectations and realistic progress. Be open to that. Your therapist may not realize that you are willing and able to be challenged more. Before you change therapists, see if you two can get on the same page.

If you continue to disagree, feel free to ask for a second opinion. Remember, this is YOUR physical therapy. Unfortunately, the way the insurance system is set up, you do not have a great deal of leverage for any therapist to be swayed by you taking your business to another clinic— but the majority do want to provide good care and good customer service. If a therapist does not know you are not pleased with the service, s/he will not change. By all means, if you still do not like your therapist after talking to him/her, change therapists or clinic. Lastly, if you think your therapist is involved in any sort of insurance fraud with your case, report it.•

WE CAN WORK IT OUT: If you do not enjoy the treatments, tell your therapist. Physical therapy is not likely to be a party, but if it feels like a chore, you are less likely to stick with it to achieve your goals.