TRIA ORthopedics and Impact Physical Medicine

Let's Get Physical (Therapy)!

by Caitlyn Burmester

introduction

Physical therapists work to restore, maintain, and promote overall fitness and health in a variety of settings including, but not limited to, hospitals, outpatient clinics, hospice, research centers, and schools. They do so by providing a plan of care that helps patients with injury or disease restore function, improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities. According to APTA, the American Physical Therapist Association, patient examinations often include testing of muscle function, strength, joint flexibility, range of motion, balance and coordination, posture, respiration, quality of life, and activities of daily living. Physical therapists can specialize in a variety of subjects such as cardiovascular and pulmonary, sports, clinical electrophysiology, geriatrics, neurology, orthopedics, pediatrics, and women's health. Regardless of one’s specialty, physical therapists allow individuals with chronic conditions to return to productive lives.

My Experience

In the summer of 2020 I will start a program at Temple University to receive my Doctorate of Physical Therapy. To help me prepare, the previous summer I volunteered at various clinics in the Twin Cities. Specifically, I volunteered at two very different locations, TRIA Orthopedic Center and Impact Physical Medicine and Prism Aquatic Center, spending a total of about 50 hours at each location. TRIA is a huge company with multiple locations in Minnesota and offers various orthopedic services at its other locations. On the other hand, Impact just has the one location where you can see a physical therapist, occupational therapist, physical medicine specialist, massage therapist, or a podiatrist. I really enjoyed the opportunity to observe and learn about physical therapy in two different clinics.

Mission Statement

“Provide our patients and community with exceptional service and innovative orthopedic and sports medicine care advanced by research and education. TRIA will be recognized nationally for driving innovation and discoveries with a focus on: providing an unparalleled patient experience, achieving leading clinical outcomes via expert teams, and delivering the highest value for our services.”

Personnel on site

You can find physical therapists, athletic trainers, and rehab aides working together to provide care.

This is the gym space in TRIA's Orthopedic Center in Bloomington where I volunteered.

Specialty Programs

  • Aquatic Therapy

  • Patellofemoral Program

  • Return to Throwing Program

  • Cycling Program

  • Pilates Program

  • Running Program

  • Fall Prevention & Balance Program

  • Return to Soccer Program

  • TRIA L.E.A.P®

Observations

There was never a dull moment at TRIA, at its busiest times there were at least 20 physical therapists seeing patients at the same time. Generally, appointments were 30 mins with hour long appointments reserved for initial evaluations. The patients were mostly athletes and geriatric patients. Their many sports specific programs clearly attract many athletes to TRIA. There were also many post-surgical patients which could be due to TRIA’s ambulatory surgical center.



Mission Statement

“Our philosophy: you are a patient that has made the choice to come to our clinic therefore: you deserve the best that medicine can offer. It is our job to deliver the best care possible for the reason(s) you came to our clinic. We intend to inspire and coach you to live life to its fullest. Our beliefs and approach to care: the human body is a masterful creation where numerous areas and systems need to work together for optimum function and health. NOTHING EXISTS IN ISOLATION. Some call our philosophy “holistic”. We consider it basic anatomy."

Personnel on site

You can find physical therapists, occupational therapists, and rehab aides working together to provide care in the clinic.

Specialty Programs

  • Aquatic Therapy

  • Orthotics

  • Postural Restoration

  • Prolotherapy

Pictured above is the aquatic center at Impact Physical Medicine.

Observations

Generally, there were two or three physical therapists and two occupational therapists seeing patients at the same time. Appointments were always about 45 min or an hour. Most of the patients at Impact were older and suffering from chronic issues. Many of them told me they had tried physical therapy at other clinics with no success in managing their pain until they came to Impact.

Conclusion

Clearly both clinics have different approaches to patient care with one being more holistic than the other. However at both clinics, physical therapists told me that every physical therapist has a different approach to treating the same injury which provides a sounding board for ideas and collaboration to find the best method of care. Regardless of the type of clinic, clinicians need to take social determinants into account in order to provide the best care for each patient. I think implementing public health practices into physical therapy's best practices is relatively new, however, its effects are noticeable. Studies shown patient demographics generally match that of the region in regards to gender, age, and race (Hicks, 2004). This supports the continued need for a broad professional physical therapy education curriculum that includes public health efforts. Having this experience really taught me the importance of interprofessional care as well as how public health efforts can impact quality of care. Watching patients build relationships with their care provider really opened my eyes to the importance of public health in serving your community even as a physical therapist.

References


Gardner, K. (n.d.). The Public Policy Priorities of the American Physical Therapy Association, 2019-2020. Retrieved from http://www.apta.org/FederalIssues/PublicPolicyPriorities/

Hicks, Ramona, et al. “Demographics of Physical Therapy Practice: Implications for Education.” Journal of Physical Therapy Education, vol. 18, no. 2, 2004, pp. 80–86., doi:10.1097/00001416-200407000-00011.

Huynh, D. (n.d.). About Physical Therapist (PT) Careers. Retrieved April 28, 2020, from https://www.apta.org/PTCareers/Overview/

Physical Medicine and Aquatic Center in St Paul, MN. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://www.impactphysicalmedicine.com/

TRIA Orthopedics. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://tria.com/

Caitlyn Burmester

I am a graduating senior with a Major in Biology and a Concentration in Community and Global Health. I'm originally from Columbia, Maryland which is outside of Baltimore. While at Mac I played on the basketball team for three years, as I had to retire early due to injury, but I luckily still able to compete in track and field for my last two years at Mac. Following graduation, I plan on attending Temple University in Philadelphia to get my Doctorate in Physical Therapy.