Be Suspicious if a Health Professional Says What She Does Helps Everyone

The large majority of patients I see have problems that can be resolved with physical therapy. However, when evaluating a patient - or over several visits - it sometimes becomes clear that a different intervention is needed. For example, oral medication, injection, surgery, cognitive therapy, and so on. My first question to myself as a clinician is always, “Is this person in the right place?”

​Physical therapy is a great place to start for most people complaining of orthopedic problems, though, given it is indeed where most people need to be and given it’s non-invasive and carries little to no risk. I say that at least 80% of people I see benefit from what we can do together. That is partly due to the fact that I briefly speak with patients first before seeing them. But I still see patients that do not respond and therefore make an appropriate referral/recommendation. No intervention treats everything. The objective is to get a quality diagnosis and choose the best intervention based on the diagnosis. I diagnose based on repeatedly moving the body, which I find to be most effective.
​--Laura