Why I Started a Mobile Physical Therapy Business
After 15 year of working for a corporate system and loving my coworkers, some people may wonder why would I decide to go out of my own? In this blog I will give people a behind the scenes look of what I was thinking and why I left a stable career to start a mobile physical therapy business.
Starting a Mobile Therapy Business: Timing
I started my company in June of 2020, in the midst of Covid. Hospitals and clinics were only allowed to take “absolutely necessary” patients, if they were allowed to stay open at all. People were scared of leaving their homes, being in public, or not able to get appointments because of Covid restrictions. I knew that people still needed access to medical care so I purchased all the items I would need for a mobile clinic, high quality protective gear, and learned how to make a website to get the word out about my fully mobile vestibular therapy clinic.
Starting a Mobile Therapy Business: Why
There are some barriers to a persons recovery from dizziness that I wish were not present. These barriers are the genesis of Custom Care Rehab.
I always thought it was unfortunate that people were asked to drive while they were dizzy. Or people who could not drive had to ask family or friends to take off work to drive them to therapy. Once patients arrived in a clinical setting for an appointment they were already sick from the car ride, hastily taken through a 30-45 minute session, and then asked to walk themselves back out and drive home. What a lousy experience for someone not feeling well!
Another barrier to someone’s success in finding relief from dizziness is if they live close enough to a vestibular specialist. I had people who drove for 2 hours just to come to my clinic because there were no vestibular specialists in their region. So your relief can be dependent on whether or not you are lucky enough to live near someone who is trained in vestibular treatment. I have seen so many clients for second or third opinions because they saw whomever a clinic decided to place a patient with when they really did not have the training to deal with the complexities of vestibular disorders.
So with knowing there was a problem I could solve, and the timing was right; I decided it was time to start a mobile physical therapy business.
Starting a Mobile Therapy Business: How
My intention and focus was to treat people who suffered from vestibular disorders. I set a 30-40 mile service area and for those in Ohio that were outside of the service area I decided to provide telehealth appointments for physical therapy. After 18 months, there was an increasing interest in hands on manual based therapy for busy professionals and parents who did not have time to attend traditional in clinic therapy. So to solve the convenience problem for busy people and families I expanded the service offerings to injury prevention, orthopedics, and hands on deep tissue work.
Now, as far as the barrier of being lucky enough to live near a vestibular specialist I decided to offer virtual vestibular coaching that is available to people no matter where they live. This program is unique from Physical Therapy in a few ways.
The virtual vestibular coaching program is great for those who:
Have been discharged from vestibular rehab therapy (VRT) but still have symptoms
Have been discharged from VRT and need accountability and encouragement to continue their exercises
Have plateaued and want to take VRT to the next level
Need to know they are on the right track
Want to have a plan to cope and manage chronic symptoms
Conclusion
In conclusion, I hope you have a better insight into what inspired me to start a mobile physical therapy business and why it is beneficial for some clients. I am so humbled by the people who have trusted me in their healthcare journey and hope to continue to grow in the years to come!
