Not All Physical Therapy Is the Same: Why Strive Performance Stands Apart

Physical therapy (PT) is an incredibly diverse profession with several different ways to specialize. You can work in acute care helping individuals in the hospital setting. There’s neurological PT for strokes, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and ALS. You can work on a sports team professionally as a sports PT. And of course we can’t forget outpatient orthopedic PT for your sprains, strains, and other musculoskeletal injuries most of us are familiar with. It’s this last branch of PT that I want to dive into for this blog post. 

Orthopedic PT is the most commonly used type of PT across the world. When most people think of PT, they think of your traditional outpatient clinics that treat everything from your grandma’s arthritis (which she swears is from cracking her knuckles for 70 years) to post-surgical PT. 

At these clinics, you can expect a space filled with treatment tables, blinding medical-grade lights, light dumbbells and kettlebells up to 15lbs., elevator music, and a PT who is splitting their time between 2-4 patients (depending on the company). There are no squat racks, heavy weights, specialized equipment, or room for running, jumping, or other sport-specific activities. If you are someone who lifts heavy with barbells or other weights, you are probably going to be underloaded in this setting. 

Before I go any deeper with this discussion, I want to make it clear THERE IS ABSOLUTELY A TIME AND PLACE FOR THESE CLINICS! They can handle post-operative care, are great for lower-functioning individuals, and almost always accept major insurances. But… they may not be the best for higher-level/athletic individuals. And this is why not all PT is created the same. 

Then where do you go for PT if you’re an injured lifter, runner, weekend warrior, or competitive athlete? 

Private pay gym settings are the place you need to be. This can be a gym that offers PT, a CrossFit gym who hires a PT for their members, or a PT clinic that is a gym (can you guess where I’m going with this?). 

Enter Strive Performance Physical Therapy in West Ashley, SC. We take pride in our gym setting, offering a true space for those who need more than a traditional PT clinic. Heavy weights, barbells, turf, medicine balls, and power racks. No splitting your time with another patient, and no being passed off to an aide who has not been to PT school yet. No fighting with insurance companies to make sure you can actually get the care you deserve. No B.S. 

The disconnect between traditional outpatient orthopedic physical therapy and private pay performance PT is where they end. Traditional PT will get you pain-free with normal daily activities and light weight lifting. In private pay gym settings, you can get back to heavy weight training, running, or any other athletic activity.

At Strive Performance, you work with a Doctor of Physical Therapy one-on-one for a full hour. Your PTs are knowledgeable in exercise technique, programming workouts and making appropriate modifications, the principles of progressive overload, and how to get you back to 100% capacity. 

Interested in working with us? You can shoot us PT inquiry under the “Our Services” tab on the website or message us directly on Instagram to get an evaluation scheduled. We look forward to working with you💪.