You’ve visited the Virtual Therapy Partners (VTP) website and decided to book a Telehealth Physical Therapy session via VTP’s easy-to-use appointment scheduling PTE weblink.

Step 1. Book your appointment via VTP’s easy-to-use appointment scheduling PTE weblink.

Step 2. On the day and time (preferably 5 minutes prior to the scheduled start time) of your appointment, click the session link provided to you by your VTP therapist using an internet-connected computer or mobile device that you intend to utilize for your teletherapy session.

Step 3. Follow your therapist’s instructions during your session and begin your recovery!

Teletherapy enables our highly-skilled and specialized physical therapists to lead you one-on-one through your individualized therapy and rehabilitation journey with the same level of skill and outcomes as in-person physical therapy (so long as no manual manipulation is required, and if it is determined by our therapists to be necessary for optimal outcomes, we make it easy for you by having the therapist schedule a time to come to your home to do your session in-person)!  So the remaining question is:  how can you best prepare yourself to make the most out of your upcoming teletherapy session?

1. Ensuring that your device — whether it be a laptop, smartphone, tablet, or desktop — is connected to a strong, stable, and secure internet or cellular connection.  While either type of secure network connection will work, an internet connection will typically provide a more smooth and seamless user experience as compared to cellular connections.
2. Setting yourself up in a consistent, private location that makes you feel comfortable and offers ample space to move around.  Your therapist will likely instruct you to move around the room to complete certain stretches and exercises, thus there should unencumbered space for you to do so.  It is important that your space is private and free from distractions so that you may openly share information with your therapist without hesitation.  Over the course of multiple sessions, it is best if you can do your sessions in a consistent space so that your physical therapist knows what equipment, furniture, walls, spaces, and tools can be utilized during your session.  Being comfortable both physically and emotionally in the environment where you will be holding your sessions will provide you with overall better session outcomes.
3. Making sure that your device’s camera is on, enabled for video connecting, and pointed toward you.  Your camera being optimally positioned to have a full visionary field will be best suited for your physical therapist to be able to see you and your movements throughout the physical therapy session.  Be prepared to possibly have to move your device and/or camera into a position in which a different angle or better visionary field can be attained for your physical therapist to effectively engage and assess your body movements during the session.
4. Determining that your device’s audio is working properly — both the microphone and speakers — for effective communication with your therapist.  If you experience any audio connection issues via the internet audio connection during your session, your therapist may instruct you to keep the internet video connection linked while dialing-in via a telephone for optimal audio.  Therefore, please ensure that you have a phone with either a ‘speaker’ function and/or a hands-free headset available with you during your telehealth physical therapy session.
5. Aiming to connect roughly 5 minutes before your scheduled appointment time.  This will enable you to ensure that your hardware and connectivity capabilities are all working smoothly.  Your physical therapist will enable the start of your session once your scheduled appointment time starts.  Because physical therapists are booked with other patients before and after your appointment time on a structured schedule, you will want to ensure that you get your full session’s worth of time with your therapist by being ready and set to start your session prior to your scheduled appointment time.  Delays may result in the need to reschedule your appointment to a date/time that is better suited for you to be able to attend your session in a timely manner so that you get the full benefits out of your physical therapy session.
6. Wearing comfortable clothing that enables you to have total movement freedom and a maximal range of motion around all your joints.  Comfortable yet snug-fitting clothes are best for your physical therapist to be able to ascertain how your various body parts are moving throughout the dynamic activities and exercises prescribed by your therapist.  This is crucial so that your physical therapist can determine whether or not corrective instruction is needed for your form, posture, and overall movement.

If you are having difficulty or unable to connect with your clinician during your scheduled appointment time, please call VTP in order to troubleshoot and correct the issue, explore other possible session options together, and/or re-schedule your physical therapy session.