I will be the first one to admit, I have pet peeves that drive me crazy. And, like in many professions, PTs get people who say or do things that drive us crazy.
I want to go through some of mine so people will understand why we do not like it and what else can be said. I also do not want this to seem like I am making fun of people which is why I will explain my position.
Rotator Cuff Pronunciations
“My Rotary Cup is torn”.
Ok, this one I do let slide a bit and do not usually correct someone. And I have heard many different versions in my years of being a PT.
I do not fault someone for not knowing what it is called but it does eat at my brain a little.
10/10 pain? Really?
Now this happens more often than you would think and sometimes patients will even go higher.
PTs, MD’s, nurses ask what your pain level is to understand you better. We will also explain that 0 is no pain at all and 10 is we need to call an ambulance to get you to the emergency room.
If you tell me your pain level is that high, I will ask you if I need to call an ambulance. Most of the time I get a roll of the eyes and a real answer.
Tell us a realistic pain level so we can gauge where we are going to go with your treatment.
“I have a high pain tolerance”
Truth be told, PT’s do not care if you can handle a lot of pain. And most of the time it is actually not true because we have ways of finding out.
The only thing we want to know is if an exercise or activity is too painful and if you can perform it correctly for the amount of repetitions we ask of you.
“My friend had this injury and was better much sooner than this”
You have heard the old saying: “no two people are alike”. Well that goes for PT as well. If 2 people have the same exact surgery on the same exact day, the odds that they will progress the same with PT is practically ZERO.
Please do not compare yourself to other people when you have an injury. Focus on your own rehabilitation and your own goals.
I am not going to push you the same as another patient just because. I do have a reason for why one person is progressed faster than another person. Trust that your PT knows how to treat you as an individual as well.
Check out this post about the different factors that go into each individuals rehabilitation.
“I just need a rub down”
I did a post a while back on manual therapy (check it out here). Soft tissue mobilization is a type of manual therapy PT’s perform, however telling us that is the only thing you need is going to get you the opposite.
I am not a massage therapist. The massage therapists go to school and are trained to do that. But PT is different. If you need a “rub down” go see a massage therapist.
I have pet peeves that drive me crazy and these are particular to me and my own experiences. I am sure there are other PT’s out there with more.