The Best Investment for Better Patient Outcomes: Advice from Dan Lorenz, DPT, PT, ATC, LAT, CSCS
“If I had a blank check for a facility I would put in a pool with a treadmill.”
– Dan Lorenz, sports medicine director at LMH Health
If you had a blank check for your new clinic or athletic facility, what would be at the top of your wish list? What would make the biggest impact on your business and the people you serve?
Dan Lorenz, sports medicine director at LMH Health Therapy Services, shared his opinion on this matter with us.
“If I was part of a “we’re going to build a brand-new facility, state of the art with all the bells and whistles, what would you do?” situation, I would say ‘a pool’ without question,” shared Dan, “If I had a blank check for a facility I would put in a pool with a treadmill.”
Read on to hear his three reasons aquatic therapy is a good investment.
Dan has seen how aquatic therapy pays off through personal and professional experience. He has helped countless patients and athletes successfully recover from life-altering injuries in faster timeframes than expected through hydrotherapy. Not only that, but he also has first-hand experience recovering from an injury using aquatics.
“I went through it myself when I was an undergrad,” shared Dan, “I’ve had five operations on my knee; I had a meniscus transplant, which is one of those cases where you can’t do a lot for a long time. So, I was able to get in the pool and do movements that supported and facilitated my ability to walk sooner.”
Why Is Aquatic Therapy A Good Investment?
Aquatic therapy improves the recovery pace
“The pool allows patients and athletes to do so some things faster because they are more weightless; things that they wouldn’t be able to do on land. It’s a fantastic adjunct and a great tool to help facilitate better outcomes. It helps accelerate the process.” – Dan
Further reading: Cut Your Rehab Time by Using Aquatic Therapy
Aquatic therapy improves rehab compliance
“In people’s heads, their compliance with rehab goes up because they see the benefit of it. They’re able to think, ‘hey, I’m on my feet, I’m not just limping along, or with crutches, in a wheelchair, or on my scooter, I’m actually on my feet walking again.’ They see there’s movement and light at the end of the tunnel.” – Dan
Further reading: 6 Ways to Increase Patient Retention for Your Physical Therapy Clinic
Aquatic therapy improves mental outlook
“It allows us to let the leash out a little bit. It keeps people engaged. They’re able to do new things, for one. And two, they’re doing higher level things even though it’s modified. Long rehab processes can be really mundane. With aquatics, we’re able to do things a lot sooner and a little more progressive that we’re not normally able to do given the pathology.” – Dan
Further reading: The Psychological Benefits of Aquatic Therapy
Considering aquatic therapy for your clinic or facility?
- Know your business goals and the needs of your patients or athletes
- Find out which hydrotherapy products will be best for your goals
- Create a plan to implement your aquatic program
Our team has helped hundreds of physical therapists and athletic trainers through this step-by-step process and is here to support you.
///
Dan Lorenz, DPT, PT, ATC, LAT, CSCS is the sports medicine director at LMH Health Therapy Services. He completed a sports medicine fellowship at Duke University, previously worked with the Kansas City Chiefs, and owned a practice for seven years.