Fredericksburg Parent

16 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • July 2021 Ask the Expert a sk t h e e x p e rt INTERVIEWED BY EMILY FREEHLING Mary Washington Healthcare announces the addi on of new physical therapy clinics in the Fredericksburg region that will allow area residents to access this important medi- cal service with shorter drives and reduced wait me for appointments. The new loca ons are meant to make it easier for the Fred- ericksburg community to reap the benefi ts of this func onal therapy wherever they may need it. As our July Expert, Mary Washing- ton Physical Therapy's Chris Brown, Regional Director of Therapy, talks about the importance of convenient access to physical therapy ser- vices. Chris is a Physical Therapist, Cer fi ed Strength and Condi oning Specialist and Orthopedic Cer fi ed Specialist. He also holds a cer - fi ca on in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy of the spine. He has worked with pa ents in the Freder- icksburg area since 2004. Q. Why is Mary Washington Healthcare expanding the availability of physical therapy with these new loca ons? We really see it as fundamental to pa ent care. Physical therapy is a recur- ring treatment, so you want to get in two to three mes a week. If you are having to drive 30 to 40 minutes to get to the clinic, it makes it a lot harder to keep up that frequency. That is going to decrease the overall results of your therapy. It's also about access. Our exis ng clinics were so busy that pa ents were experiencing lengthy waits to get appointments, and we did not think that was acceptable, because ming is so cri cal with physical therapy. If you have had surgery, you need to be in therapy right away. Chris Brown PT, CSCS, OCS, Cert MDT Regional Director of Therapy Q. What is benefi cial about receiving physical therapy within the Mary Washington Healthcare family of services? It's a wonderful con nuity of care to be able to work with therapists who are connected to Mary Washington's network of physicians, specialists and other providers. Your primary care physician may see something and send you to an orthopedist, who orders physical therapy. Within the Mary Washington family, all of these providers are sharing informa on, so that you are taken through your care plan without having to call around to fi nd a provider for the next step. It's seamless. Once treatment starts, physi- cal therapists stay in close communica on with your referring providers. Because communica on can happen in real me, pa ents in our system are able to avoid delays in their care, and this can lead to quicker progress in some cases.

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