What does a Physical Therapist do?
Physical therapists teach patients how to prevent or manage their condition so that they will achieve long-term health benefits. PTs examine each individual and develop a plan, using treatment techniques to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability.
Depending on the reason for treatment, the benefits of physical therapy include:
Pain Management
Avoiding surgery
Recover after surgery
Improved mobility and movement
Recovery from injury or trauma
Recovery from stroke or paralysis
Improved balance
Management of age-related medical problems
Fall Prevention
Medical research shows muscle atrophy and nerve changes can begin within 24 hours of injury. Getting PT early helps prevent these changes by starting treatment before atrophy begins. In other words, there’s less damage to heal, and the patient can get better faster.
Most patients will then see their physical therapist for several visits. Just how many visits depends on the individual’s needs and progress, and the numbers can vary. Six to 12 visits can be enough to cover most diagnoses, but even one to two can get people going in the right way.
Telehealth means the delivery of health care services through the use of interactive audio and video technology, permitting real-time communication between the patient at the originating site and the provider, for the purpose of diagnosis, consultation, or treatment.

The most important piece of equipment for a Telehealth physical therapy session is YOU! At Pro Vita Physical Therapy we use Zoom, a platform that follows HIPAA guidelines. So, for a Telehealth Physical Therapy session you will need an internet-enabled device such as smartphones, tablets, laptops or desktops with webcam capability.

The actual Telehealth physical therapy session is going to be very similar to a standard physical therapy session. Your physical therapist is going to ask you questions related to your goals, your current condition, any limitations you are currently facing that are preventing you from achieving your goals. A physical examination is obviously not going to be done in quite the same manner as an in-person evaluation. Manual muscle testing, for example, can’t be done by a physical therapist restricting your movement. Instead vocal feedback about the movements that improve or worsen your pain or dysfunction will be necessary.
At the moment coverage by private insurances in Florida is very limited. Contact your insurance carrier for more information as all insurances have different coverages.