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Toni Talks about PT Today

The Red Fish
by Toni Patt
A few weeks ago, I wrote about using the Nintendo Wii and wondering how much help I should give my patients. Since that time, I've settled into helping them to either prevent frustration or teach a new motor program. That creates higher scores while enabling Read More...
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How Much Help Is Too Much?
by Toni Patt
I've been using the Nintendo Wii with more of my patients. This has created a dilemma for me. I don't know how much help to give my patients. At first I didn't help them at all but that wasn't successful. Since then I have alternated between verbal cues Read More...
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How Do You Define Functional?
by Toni Patt
I'm having a debate with the PTA I work with. We can't agree on the definition of functional. I want to use it to describe activities, as in they are functional. She wants to use it to describe actions as functional, such as in functional ROM or strength. Read More...
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The Wonder of Wii
by Toni Patt
A new piece of equipment has found its way into our department, a Nintendo Wii. Up until last weekend I'd never even seen one, much less played with one. The literature is full of articles describing how to use the Wii therapeutically, particularly with Read More...
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Combining PT and ST
by Toni Patt
Lately I've had the opportunity to work with a wonderful ST. We bounce ideas off each other. We've even managed to co-treat a few times. In the course of working together, we've observed that improvement in one discipline carries over to improvement in Read More...
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My New Pet Peeve
by Toni Patt
We all have things that annoy us. I have a new one at work, the assisted ergometer. It can be used for the UEs or LEs and programmed to provide either resistance or assistance to whoever is working the pedals. To me it is a glorified restorator. What Read More...
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Don't Count These Patients Out
by Toni Patt
It's been a while since I've had more than a few geriatric patients on my caseload. Now that my caseload is all geriatric, I've had to readjust. It's a good thing I didn't forget the first rule of geriatric care. Elderly patients are people, too. They Read More...
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My Morning Coffee Group
by Toni Patt
I like to start work early; the earlier the better. Usually this means I start my day alone. I grab the first patient I find out of bed and get started. Not anymore. A few days ago, I was having trouble convincing a patient to come to therapy. In frustration, Read More...
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Caring for the Severely Impaired Patient
by Toni Patt
There is new evidence in the physical therapy world that creates a paradox. The patients who benefit the most are the patients who receive the least therapy. Everything I read demonstrated that the more impaired patients made the greatest improvement Read More...
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The Future of Physical Therapy
by Toni Patt
This morning I had a conversation with an OT who has as much experience or more than I do. I mentioned my frustration with employers desiring low pay over experienced therapists. I don't think my tDPT and geriatric specialization have made me more attractive Read More...
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PT and PTA Reimbursements Are the Same
by Toni Patt
Jason Marketti made an excellent point last week when he responded to my post . He pointed out that in all but one state, reimbursement is the same for treatments provided by a PT or a PTA. On the surface, that makes sense. Our charges are treatment-based. Read More...
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Walking in Gripper Socks
by Toni Patt
Last week I had my employee physical. It's always about the same. Each year my vision is a little worse. The manual muscle test isn't much of a challenge. Everything was fine until the doctor asked me to tandem walk. I nearly fell over. There's nothing Read More...
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Brain or Brawn
by Toni Patt
Last week, I found myself following in the footsteps of a therapist who truly believed in hands-on therapy. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't replicate his treatments. His patients were walking with only therapist-assist. I could barely get them Read More...
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Understanding What Patients Lose
by Toni Patt
This week the unthinkable happened to me. The job of my dreams no longer exists as I know it. This was my special job. I looked forward to work every morning. I loved what I did and the people I did it with. That no longer exists. I'm still working but Read More...
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Because the Family Wants It
by Toni Patt
Because the family wants it isn't a reason to order physical therapy. Because it would make the family feel better isn't something that requires skilled intervention either. Last weekend I ran into a nurse who disagreed with me about this. I performed Read More...
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