A good friend said to me that this pandemic made her become more mindful of her health and challenged me to invest on mine this year. Our conversation left me in a pensive mood. I believe her with every ounce of my being especially now that I am a mother. My greatest hope is to live long and well… long enough to see my son become the man he ought to be and well enough to take care of him till I can’t anymore. And I am sure that all mommas out there share the same dream with me. This drive led me to my journey to recovery from postpartum issues.
So, I scheduled myself to start that first step towards recovery through virtual PT / Virtual Physical Therapy. I discussed this decision with my husband and he is on board from the get go. It wasn’t a long talk between us. He has seen the real effects of my postpartum issues not just on my physical health but on my whole being as a person, I didn’t have to do any convincing at all. This made me more sure that I’m taking the right path and eased up my nerves. I was getting nervous and anxious as the day of appointment approach. Since it will be a virtual meeting, I wonder if I will be asked to be naked and expose my private parts. Is it secure? How can I be sure that I will not be seeing my naked self broadcasted online? Can this type of assessment be as efficient as the in-person visit or even be effective for that matter to determine my problems? But with the current threats brought by the pandemic, what choice do I have left?
Come the appointment day, checking in on my personal account on the clinic’s portal was as easy and smooth as scheduling for one. I had to answer a few pages in-take form and sign a consent form before hand. This is one thing I like about the virtual PT, I had plenty of time to think about my medical history. It allowed me to get really specific and gather all the details of my illness. It somehow made me see the big picture. Majority of our session was spent on discussing about my illness; why I have all these symptoms, what’s happening beyond what my eyes can see, what are the different body functions and movements and how they are different postpartum. It was like connecting the dots. Everything made sense to me now. My therapist also performed a physical assessment, I was her hands. With her guidance, we checked if I have diastasic recti and if some important pelvic muscles are working efficiently. This part needed a lot of concentration and a few times I was unsure of myself. I know how important the feedbacks I’m giving to my therapist would affect the course of this journey to recovery. But my physical therapist was confident, I didn’t feel any sense of hesitation or doubt. She has complete trust on me and on this, that everything will work. Our session concluded with a handful of home exercise my physical therapist instructed me to do and I demonstrated in return to check for correct form and execution. I am now excited because it is possible to achieve postpartum recovery through virtual PT!
This is probably a very unconventional way of doing an assessment let alone a physical therapist assessment where muscles and movements are involved. I know because I am a physical therapist myself but I have never been more educated and aware of my body, especially the pelvic area, than I was in school. Having done this remotely, actually relying on my own sense of touch feeling those muscles be at still or moving, encouraged me to be more attuned with my own self. Understanding one’s own body is the beginning of one’s healing. Well, at least for me. It motivated me more to take the mat and exercise every single time, looking forward to the time where I can feel those muscles firing up again and have less symptoms. Although, I do not negate the fact that I warranted a need for an in-person assessment to check for other things I cannot perform myself. But, even if there’s no pandemic, I would go through a virtual PT again not for its convenience but for the internal change it caused in me.
P.S. No naked bodies involved, in case you are wondering. 🙂
Take that first step towards recovery through virtual PT. It is safe and secure. Tribeca Physical Therapy is officially reopened for in-person physical therapy sessions and continues to offer Telehealth PT or Virtual PT. Call us at 2124068080 or message us and book your first session free.
