Digital Physical Therapy: Expanding Access Without Compromising Quality

Digital care is reshaping how healthcare is delivered, and physical therapy is no exception. As a clinician, adapting to digital physical therapy offers an opportunity to better support patients while expanding your ability to deliver care beyond traditional settings. Patients increasingly expect flexible, accessible treatment options—and digital models allow you to meet those expectations without compromising quality.

Virtual physical therapy, a key component of digital care, doesn’t replace hands-on treatment—it extends your reach. By combining in-person visits with digital tools, you can maintain ongoing communication, support adherence between sessions, and personalize the care experience to meet individual needs. With over 80 percent of patients preferring digital interactions with their healthcare providers¹, integrating digital physical therapy into your practice positions you to meet growing demand.

This article outlines how digital physical therapy works, when to apply it, and how to align it with broader care models to improve outcomes for both patients and providers.

What Is Digital Physical Therapy?

Digital physical therapy uses technology to deliver care outside the clinic. This can include virtual visits, mobile-based home exercise programs (HEPs), patient-reported outcome tracking, and real-time progress monitoring. Therapists can interact with patients through video calls, secure messaging, and automated program updates, all while maintaining clinical oversight.

Virtual physical therapy is one approach within this broader category. It typically includes telehealth sessions conducted over video or phone. These sessions enable therapists to assess and guide treatment for patients who may have barriers to attending in-person appointments—such as location, transportation, or mobility challenges.

In both cases, patients benefit from increased flexibility, while therapists maintain control over care quality and progress. With the right setup, digital tools allow you to deliver consistent, high-quality care that adapts to your patients' needs.

When Should Virtual Physical Therapy Be Used?

As a PT, the first step in adopting the virtual physical therapy model is recognizing that it can be a valuable asset to your practice. With the normalization of telehealth across many fields, patients now expect digital or remote care options, with 61 percent saying they would consider switching to a provider who offers digital care.¹

The value of digital physical therapy depends on thoughtful application. While it offers flexibility and broader reach, it's most useful when matched to the right patients and conditions.

Patient Condition

Digital care works well for managing chronic conditions like low back pain, osteoarthritis, and post-surgical rehabilitation. These conditions benefit from structured HEPs, regular check-ins, and data-informed decision-making. For more complex or acute issues requiring manual techniques or physical assessments, a hybrid model can maintain clinical quality while supporting flexibility.

Access and Convenience

Patients in remote locations or with busy schedules may miss appointments due to logistical constraints. Digital physical therapy gives them another way to stay on track. Virtual follow-ups, asynchronous monitoring, and self-guided programs reduce the need for frequent travel—without reducing the continuity of care.

Hands-On Requirements

Certain interventions—manual therapy, specific equipment use, or safety monitoring—require in-person care. But these hands-on visits can be supplemented with virtual sessions focused on education, exercise updates, and adherence coaching. This model maintains therapeutic momentum while conserving clinic resources.

Mobility and Technological Capabilities

The patient's mobility and comfort with technology are also important factors to consider. Patients with severe mobility impairments may find it challenging to perform certain exercises or maneuvers without the direct assistance of a therapist. Additionally, technological barriers, such as lack of access to a reliable internet connection, can hinder the effectiveness of virtual physical therapy.

That said, its important to avoid assumptions—especially regarding older patients and their willingness and ability to use technology. Many older adults are adopting tech and using it regularly, meaning they can be engaged in virtual PT just as effectively as younger patients. Based on internal Medbridge data, older adults have the highest activation rates for digital programs, with 63 percent of patients aged 60 to 79 activating their programs.

So, When Should PTs Use Virtual Physical Therapy?

Virtual physical therapy is particularly suitable when a patient's condition can be effectively managed remotely, and the benefits of convenience and accessibility outweigh the need for in-person interventions.

One of the key strengths of virtual physical therapy is its flexibility—it can take many forms, from fully virtual telehealth appointments to self-guided pathways, or a combination of digital and in-person care. This adaptability allows you to choose the most effective option for each patients specific needs, ensuring that virtual physical therapy can be seamlessly integrated into practice to complement in-person care. In this way, virtual PT serves as a powerful tool to enhance the therapeutic alliance between visits, keeping patients engaged and supported throughout their treatment journey.

What Other Physical Therapy Models Are There?

Understanding how virtual physical therapy fits into the broader landscape of physical therapy is crucial to diversify your practice and offer comprehensive care.

• In-Person Physical Therapy: The most traditional and well-known model, in-person physical therapy has historically been the default option. In-person visits are appropriate for conditions that require hands-on techniques or specialized equipment. For acute injuries or post-operative recovery, in-person visits are essential for a detailed physical examination and manual therapy, which cannot be replicated virtually.

• Fully Virtual Physical Therapy: Many practices now offer fully virtual physical therapy options. These programs, often using telehealth platforms, allow patients to receive care entirely remotely. While fully virtual care offers convenience and accessibility, it's most used for patients with lower-acuity chronic conditions that don't require hands-on interventions, such as ongoing management of mild musculoskeletal issues.

• Self-Guided Physical Therapy Programs: For patients with low-acuity chronic conditions, self-guided therapy programs provide a structured and convenient way for patients to manage their care independently. These programs are particularly effective when overseen by a physical therapist who monitors the patients progress and makes adjustments as needed. The key to success in these models is ensuring regular check-ins and therapist involvement to maintain patient engagement and optimize outcomes.

• Hybrid Physical Therapy: Hybrid models combine the strengths of each approach. Patients may start with in-person visits and transition to digital follow-ups, or alternate based on treatment milestones. This model is highly adaptable and supports both clinical quality and patient flexibility.

Hybrid Physical Therapy: The Best of Both Worlds

Each physical therapy model offers distinct advantages—whether it's the hands-on approach of in-person visits, the convenience of fully virtual care, or the independence of self-guided programs. For many patients, the most effective solution comes from combining these approaches.

Hybrid care begins with in-person sessions to establish rapport, conduct assessments, and deliver hands-on care, followed by virtual sessions for ongoing monitoring, patient education, and progression of home exercise programs (HEPs). Hybrid PT can enhance patient engagement, accommodate various patient needs, and offer cost-effective care by reducing the need for frequent in-person visits while maintaining high-quality treatment.

When it comes to this hybrid physical therapy model, Medbridge's Pathways equips you with digital tools to create customizable care plans, monitor patient progress remotely, and deliver continuous patient education. Rather than disrupting the clinician-patient relationship, Pathways enhances it by empowering PTs to offer a seamless blend of in-person and virtual care. This cutting-edge platform helps you deliver a modern, convenient care experience while improving health outcomes. By supplementing traditional care with digital tools, like motion capture and virtual triaging, Pathways also increases your capacity to treat more patients, all while reducing workload and ensuring personalized, consistent care tailored to each patient's needs.

Embracing Digital Physical Therapy in Practice

Integrating digital physical therapy into your practice helps meet growing expectations while allowing you to operate more efficiently. From improving patient adherence to increasing clinician flexibility, digital models offer measurable benefits when implemented with care.

As expectations for digital care continue to rise, clinicians who embrace these tools will be better equipped to meet patient needs, track progress, and demonstrate value to payers and partners.

Medbridge provides the education, tools, and technology to help you successfully implement digital physical therapy. Whether you're starting small or scaling a full hybrid model, we’re here to support your transition.

References

1. https://www.experian.com/blogs/healthcare/simplify-care-in-2023-with-a-digital-front-door/