Sure, everyone knows that you need to see your dentist twice a year for teeth cleanings, your physician once a year for your physical, and your dermatologist for a routine check-in. However, few know that we equally need to get the rest of our body inspected by a musculoskeletal expert (AKA...a physical therapist!).
When we visit our physician, we expect to get a blood panel, have our heart and lungs listened to, and receive basic vital assessments. A musculoskeletal examination effectively assesses the rest of our physical body, including strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, range of motion, and basic neurological functions.
Many years ago, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) created what was called “Vision 2020,” which laid the framework for desired standards of practice that progress physical therapy in a meaningful way to improve access, quality of care, collaboration, value, innovation, consumer-centricity, and advocacy; these key indicators were set up to elevate physical therapy practice nationally.
Entering 2020, Functionize evaluated what standards of practice we do that embody and elevate this vision. One of the glaring holes within our practice, and within physical therapy practices in general, is an emphasis on reactive care versus proactive care. Reactive care is a response to treating injuries and issues once they are already a problem. Proactive care, on the other hand, means that we are creating initiatives and avenues where individuals can ensure injury prevention and overall wellness. The most obvious missing link to transition from a reactive model to a proactive model is to offer our clients comprehensive annual examinations.
So, we developed our 5-Point Checkup – an hour long examination that inspects the 5 following domains:
Body composition (via InBody)
Neurological screening
Checking eye tracking, sensation, and reflexes can help detect more serious health issues
Range of motion testing (ROM)
This is a thorough assessment of all of your major joints and muscle
This gives us a better understand of how your system works together
Fitness testing
Through fitness testing we capture heart rate response to stress and we can establish a baseline for overall strength and recovery
Each of these areas are thoroughly examined and scored individually to produce an overall raw score that lets the individual know exactly where they stand from a total body and movement perspective.
Furthermore, we provide 3 key areas for improvement that give the individual actionable items that they know need to improve. We aim to have every one of our patients receive this screening annually.
The purpose of this exam is to get ahead of potential problematic areas which ideally yields fewer issues down the road, cost savings on health care, and ownership over their health and wellness.
We believe this addresses portions of Vision 2020 in that we are providing access to otherwise not typically available services, innovative care, and consumer-centric initiatives.
We began rolling these out at the end of 2020 and they are an integral part of our practice today.
This begs the question: have YOU scheduled your 5-Point Checkup with a Functionize provider? If not, let’s get proactive! We’d be happy to answer any questions and help you schedule yours today! Email us at info@functionizehealth.com, or give us a call/text at 404-907-4196.
Thanks for reading!
Jake Reynolds, PT, DPT, OCS
Physical Therapist
Board Certified Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy
Email: jake@functionizehealth.com
Follow Jake on Instagram: @theswimmingphysio