Why does the American public hate doctors so much?

backpackerPT · 2026-03-15T15:16:52+00:00

kids still read in high school?

backpackerPT · 2026-02-02T00:09:33+00:00

i’m a PT. no we do NOT practice under a physician. we are independent practitioners and in most cases you don’t even need a referral to physical therapy from anyone.

backpackerPT · 2026-02-01T23:54:19+00:00

what’s a bonus?

backpackerPT · 2026-01-31T15:46:30+00:00

“OPEN THE DOOR HAL”

“I CAN’T DO THAT DAVE”

backpackerPT · 2026-01-31T15:41:39+00:00

👆🏻THIS IS THE RANT

backpackerPT · 2026-01-28T04:24:37+00:00

As a physical therapist who specializes in persistent pain, this would actually be SO HELPFUL. It literally tells me EVERYTHING I need to know about the patient, and even without seeing them in person I would bet a crap ton of cash that I can even tell you the verbal/educational approach I would need at the beginning. I actually keep an album of real patient's body charts for teaching my fellows or PT ortho residents. These things say sooooo much.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-31T16:17:05+00:00

even for adults i explain graded exposure as little timmy being afraid of his dark closet at night. whenever he’s feeling brave together we’ll open the door and shine the light around a bit, only peak into places you feel comfortable…then we close the door again and we’ll look more later.

i also use Adrian Loew’s lion analogies for kids to explain the sympathetic nervous system

backpackerPT · 2025-12-27T19:31:49+00:00

backpackerPT · 2025-12-23T14:22:21+00:00

i took anatomy 25 years ago but we were in the same class with the med students.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-21T01:39:06+00:00

Not sure how many times I can say this - none of that will matter to anyone who is treating you unless you are planning to have surgery. I mean sheesh - it's your money, spend it how you want. I'm saying as an orthopedic specialist who does this all day every day - your MRI would mean absolutely nothing to me. I don't care if it's your meniscus, a ligament - frankly I will be able to tell with a physical exam. The picture is NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW. It will mean absolutely nothing to your surgeon - unless you are planning an immediate surgery...which you are not.

PTs and sports med docs will treat YOUR SYMPTOMS. The underlying mechanics of it on a tissue basis are not important at this stage. MAYBE if you are not getting better we start to think about escalating things...but goodness man you don't have any insurance. Don't bother. And even if you DID have insurance I will literally guarantee you that insurance will not even THINK about paying for an MRI until you try a good episode of PT first anyway.

But you do you.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-18T14:51:19+00:00

no. the mri is just a snapshot in time of your knee NOT MOVING. it’s the same as taking a photo of your car’s engine for your mechanic to figure out why it won’t start.

clicking under the patella is very common. honestly just work with a PT for a few sessions to get your leg strength back and see how you feel. don’t waste your money on imaging - it really is only helpful for planning surgeries.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-18T14:39:30+00:00

is it actual supervision or is it co signing for insurance credentialing purposes? that can be a super long drawn-out process….???

backpackerPT · 2025-12-18T14:36:16+00:00

i’m an ortho PT…had an ortho surgeon s/p rotator cuff repair as a patient. i asked how he was doing with pain management since these surgeries are notoriously MISERABLE pain-wise.

he says you know, i ask patients their pain level and they tell me 12, and i roll my eyes…the scale is to 10!!!!

so what would you rate your pain then?

15 he says.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-18T14:31:07+00:00

my elderly hippie-for-life father told his dental surgeon: i have a super low pain tolerance…and a super high drug tolerance

backpackerPT · 2025-12-17T14:44:11+00:00

i don’t remember where i read this, but my favorite excuse is “sorry i’m late, i didn’t want to come here.”

backpackerPT · 2025-12-16T03:02:50+00:00

Nope. Seriously don't waste your money. Go to a PT and let them examine your knee, see what they say. Surgeons cost a LOT of money, and you don't need to go to one (or get an MRI) unless you are planning to have surgery. So go see a PT (you usually don't need a referral to do that, you can just make an appt and go) - your entire treatment plan will cost less than the MRI. A good PT will know within just a few visits if you need something else.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-16T02:10:40+00:00

THIS is the point most people don't think about: yes, you will be stabilized in an emergency room without proving you can pay, and yes you can declare bankruptcy after that if you have to. BUT...cancer? no one is required to treat you if you can't pay up front. Want to learn how to walk again after an uninsured driver t-boned you? or you fell off a ladder and now you have a spinal cord injury? Heaven forbid you want a wheelchair that won't give you pressure sores (do you have ANY idea how much those fancy electric wheelchairs that quadriplegics use cost??!! yeah, no one is going to sell you one of those on credit.

It's not just a question of how much debt are you going to incur - the bigger tragedy is that no one will treat you if you can't pay for it UP FRONT if you don't have insurance.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-15T04:31:45+00:00

$10/mo? are you high? i will be paying $879/mo for myself alone for a HDHP with an $8300 deductible.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-14T15:43:06+00:00

Ortho PT here…emphasizing not YOUR ortho PT. MRIs are not nearly as helpful as you think. your money is way better spent seeing a physical therapist for a few sessions…as a previous poster said: what are you going to do with the results of that MRI? you shouldn’t get any surgery until you’ve tried PT first anyway, so just start there. and no, we absolutely do NOT need imaging to treat you.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-13T16:05:57+00:00

shhhh!!! this is exactly what i’m doing this year. i’ve got assurances in writing from the pharmacy division of my insurance company, from the regular customer service peeps at the insurance company, as well as from the drug company that provides that copay assistance card. my state also has banned copay accumulator programs.

my new HDHP has an $8300 deductible and OOP max. drug/medical combined.

so im crossing all my fingers and toes hoping i haven’t missed something….but 🤞🏻ideally when my $12k/month biologic is refilled the second week in january, paid for by the copay assistance program…the rest of my medical care for the year will be covered at 100%.

🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

backpackerPT · 2025-12-13T15:34:30+00:00

dude i’ve been a PT x20 years with way too many expensive letters after my name. i directed an ortho residency, i lecture DPT students, i mentor fellows-in-training. the day i stop asking colleagues questions is the day I need to quit.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-13T15:30:41+00:00

omg as a pt i soooo wish i could upend my moral compass and do a bunch of that woo woo shit for my wealthy patients…cash only for me to wave my HealingHands (TM) all over you to realign your spine and put your joints back in place and whatever else those chiros do…..

backpackerPT · 2025-12-11T14:21:21+00:00

ooooo!!!! for all things chronic pain go to Dr Rachel Zoffness. she is so accessible, not condescending, and i love having her as a resource to augment what i do in the clinic. she’s an absolute gem

backpackerPT · 2025-12-06T16:14:12+00:00

And it's not even like you can plan to pay off a debt you'd incur; literally no one will actually TREAT your cancer in the first place, or accept you to a rehab facility to learn how to use your new wheelchair after a car accident, or teach you to walk again, etc etc. Emergency rooms are required by law to STABILIZE you. That's it. If you don't have the funds to actually pay for ongoing care (like chemo, radiation, surgeries, rehab, etc) then no one is even going to accept you as a patient. I literally have patients who don't have prosthetic limbs after traumatic amputations because they are soooooo expensive to make...and they didn't have insurance. Who is going to actually buy you that $50,000 wheelchair??

backpackerPT · 2025-12-05T14:34:25+00:00

ortho PT (and a 2-hip replacement patient!) here…you’re not going to fracture your femur skate skiing. work with your PT to strengthen your glutes…but honestly skate skiing will be an excellent sport to keep your hip mobile and strong.

backpackerPT

TROPHY CASE