6 Innovations in Physical Therapy Technology
In many ways, physical therapy is leading the way with innovative technology to improve patient outcomes. Surprisingly, even cutting-edge virtual reality technology is being applied in many physical therapy practices.
As research continues to emerge regarding how patient outcomes improve alongside technology, you might wonder how these technological advances can help your physical therapy patients. How can these devices impact the development and implementation of home exercise programs? What musculoskeletal and neurological disorders can this tech help? Below, we explore how various technologies are being applied in the clinical setting—resulting in improved outcomes and enhanced patient care.
What is physical therapy technology?
Physical therapy technology incorporates a variety of devices, assessment equipment, exercise aids, and more to help physical therapists assist patients to the best of their abilities. Basically, physical therapy technology is any electronic device or tool used to propel patient progress forward, improve patient compliance, and perform more accurate assessments.
In the last few years, technology has, inevitably, become more and more intertwined with our daily lives. The majority of us don’t go a day without using some kind of technology created in the last few decades. Office workers use top-of-the-line computer equipment. Various medical professionals use technological advancements to better serve more patients and make more accurate diagnoses. This isn’t solely limited to physical therapists. However, with talk of the “metaverse” and the growing popularity of virtual reality, it’s becoming more clear that this technology isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
How has technology changed being a physical therapist?
Until recent decades, physical therapy treatment has been limited to primarily manual care. While tools, like the good ol’ balance board, still prove useful in a variety of situations, it’s clear that technology can help take assessment and treatment plans to the next level.
Technology continues to change the way we work. So, what does this mean for a physical therapist? Well, it means that we must be ever-adapting to these changes for the best interest of our patients. It means constantly learning new skills (which many of us are required to do anyway) and applying these skills to help empower patients.
Yet, it also means certain tasks become easier and more accurate. In turn, this can better guide treatment plans, so that more patient progress is made. The versatility of this technology can also improve patient compliance, such as encouraging them to perform their exercises at home (the popularity of Wii games is a prime example of this!) and allowing better access to treatment options. So, let’s take a closer look at some examples of technology changing the face of physical therapy.
Innovative technology used in physical therapy treatments
Within your physical therapy practice, you might already use these technologies or have variations of them. And the good news is that this technology is only likely to improve. In fact, there’s probably already better technology already out there, but access to it might be limited (or more research needs to be done before it’s put into practice). So, what can you expect in the years to come? Or what devices should you strive to start including as part of your physical therapy treatment?
Motion capture and wearable technology
For gait analysis or analysis of other movement patterns, past assessment practices have involved merely observing a person walking or performing the movement. A physical therapist might have watched the patient’s legs, hips, pelvis, and more as they walked or moved and determined what may require further testing or attention.
Yet, scientific advancement today offers the opportunity to capture these motions via the use of wearable technology. This often involves sensors placed on patients’ joints or muscles. In turn, this can provide even more information regarding what is going on beneath the surface, which can help physical therapists better manage pain for their patients and create precision in their treatment protocols.
Other wearable tech can further provide biofeedback on a patient’s progress, muscle strength, range of motion, and more.
Telehealth
With the pandemic, telehealth truly took off. While, ideally, for certain manual therapies, it’s best to see the patient face-to-face, telehealth offers direct access to healthcare for patients that otherwise might not be available. Furthermore, there might be other emerging technologies that could potentially fill these gaps in the future—allowing patients to fully take advantage of telehealth for all it could be!
Rehabilitation robots
For traumatic injuries, those that have suffered strokes, or post surgery rehabilitation, research demonstrates how rehabilitation robots are leading the way in terms of aiding recovery with sensorimotor processes after central nervous system damage. For instance, this type of technology can help move a patient’s legs as they may re-learn how to walk or sit and stand. In this way, these robots can elevate rehabilitation intensity and reconfigure neural-based connections by providing safe and efficient support or guidance.
Technology in physical therapy documentation
Many physical therapy practices are moving away from paper files. New technologies and software are moving these previously physical files online. This can greatly increase communication between admin staff and physical therapists, as well as create improved integrated approaches between healthcare professionals. On top of this, it reduces any physical file storage necessary to keep closed patient files.
Virtual reality for physical therapists
Virtual reality offers an option for physical therapy within the virtual environment. As an extension of telehealth, this can improve access for specific patients and limit the need for physical face-to-face interactions.
On the other hand, virtual reality can also play a major role in the compliance and implementation of home exercise programs. It can help make these exercises feel less like “work” and more like video games over anything else. This can lead to a faster recovery for many patients since exercise is a vital part of physical therapy treatments, and getting patients to adhere to these exercise programs can be a major hurdle in the recovery process.
Digital goniometers for range of motion measurement
A goniometer has traditionally been a manual tool used to assess and re-assess range of motion. Yet, the truth is manual assessment has its limits and can be prone to certain inaccuracies.
With digital goniometers, like the Halo Digital Goniometer, you can obtain accurate measurements to one-tenth of the degree. This can improve patient trust in the process, as well as ensure accuracy and efficacy in patient treatments.
Enhancing your practice with physical therapy technology
In a competitive landscape, physical therapists always need to be finding ways to distinguish themselves from the competition. Adopting innovative new tools and techniques can help physical therapists to enhance the patient experience. The amount of technology and tools available for physical therapists may be overwhelming, so it’s important to identify two things to decide which tools will help you most:
- What manual processes are you following to get your job done? Adopting technology that can help you to save time on traditionally manual tasks and improve efficiencies in your practice will allow you to refocus your time on business growth and client satisfaction.
- What are the common issues your clients are facing? Start by sourcing tools that solve the most common pain points of your patients to optimize the return on investment into any new technology. In turn, you’ll enhance client loyalty by providing an exceptional service and experience with state of the art tools.
Halo Digital Goniometer and Inclinometer
Widely used traditional goniometers and inclinometers are over 40 years old and provide issues with measurement discrepancies. Finding the right tools and technology to help improve accuracy of ROM measurement is important in a physical therapy practice.
Halo is a digital solution that improves reading accuracy within 1 degree. Our digital goniometer measures range of motion in 3 easy steps, making accuracy available for everyone. The Halo has a triple sensor chip that allows you to measure the planes our bodies move in. Save your last 5 measurements so you don’t need to remember, or interrupt your assessment to write down the result.
Now you can provide your patients a superior level of care that distinguishes you from competitors. Halo is available to buy now on Amazon USA.