COVID-19

Physical Therapy in a Pandemic

 
 

Updated mask guidance…

3/2/2022

Mask off?

The CDC has made new categories of risk based on 3 local statistics (new COVID-19 admissions, strain on local hospital, and total new cases in the past 7 days). These statistics are used to determine the “COVID-19 community level” specific to each county.

Under Low level, there is no specific masking recommendations (in the absence of suspected infection or exposure). Under Medium level, it is recommended that individuals who are at high risk for severe disease, or interacting with others who are, should consider wearing a mask. Under High level, it is recommended that everyone wear a mask indoors in public spaces regardless of vaccination status. Please visit the CDC’s website for more details on community levels and to see which level our county is currently at.

In a healthcare facility, there may be additional considerations for masking policies. At RMTP we are also looking at the COVID-19 Integrated County View for a 7 day period. If this is in the “Moderate” category, and the above Community Levels in the County per CDC is in the Low category, then we will go to mask optional :). Watch for the sign on the door if you are not sure where we are.

COVID-19 Exposure or possible symptoms…When should I postpone my appointments?

Updated 1/2/22

In December, the CDC updated quarantine recommendations based on the stress that Omicron was putting on businesses and schools as well as a potentially quicker timeline of infection from Omicron.

Since we are working together for an hour in close contact, and there is no way for us to know which strain you may have been exposed to/infected with, we will remain on a slightly conservative timeline. Please honor the policy below. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to Tanice. ^Please see guide below for determining which day you are on.

If You Test Positive for COVID-19

Everyone, regardless of vaccination status.

  • Postpone your appointment for at least 7 days^.

  • Some infections may last longer. If you still have a fever, productive cough, sneezing, etc or your symptoms haven’t greatly resolved by day 7^, please continue to postpone your appointment until they do. If your symptoms continue past day 14^ and you believe that these may be long-term residual symptoms post infectious period, please reach out to Tanice. It is important to us that you do not forego care if you are no longer contagious.

  • Masks are still required at RMTP at all times. If you are able to return prior to 14^ days after infection, please wear a N-95 or KN95 if you have one. Please also inform your provider so that she may also wear the appropriate PPE.

If You Were Exposed to Someone with COVID-19 and are asymptomatic

If you Have been boosted or received last Pfizer/Moderna in the last 6 months or the J&J Vaccine in the last 2 months

  • Postpone treatments until you receive a negative PCR test. Test on day 3-5^ (ideally on DAY 5^) .

  • Wear a N-95 or KN95 mask to treatment for 10 days^ post exposure. Please also inform your provider so that she can wear the appropriate PPE.

    If you develop symptoms get a test and stay home. Follow the above guidelines for “Test Positive for COVID-19”.

If you:

Do not meet the vaccination criteria above

  • Postpone treatment for a minimum 7-10^ days post exposure.

  • If you have a negative PCR test performed at day 3-5^ (ideally DAY 5) post exposure AND are still symptom free you may return for treatments. Please wear a N-95 or a KN95 mask and inform your provider so that she can wear the appropriate PPE.

  • If you are unable to receive a PCR test, please postpone your treatments for 10 days post exposure. If you have remained symptom free, you may return for treatment at this time.

If you develop symptoms get a test and stay home. Follow the above guidelines for “Test Positive for COVID-19”.

^For determining day of test/return to treatment: For those with infection: Consider day of symptom onset (or first + test for those without symptoms) day 0 . For those with exposure: Consider day of known exposure as day 0.

If you are still unsure how to proceed after reading the policy, please reach out to Tanice and we will determine the best course of action.

Think that you just have a cold? Tanice has postponed several appointments with clients who have cold symptoms to find out a few days later that they tested (+) for COVID. By staying on the conservative end, we are able to stay open more and serve the community as a whole with less interruptions. Thank you again for your diligence.

It is truly remarkable how well we have navigated this Pandemic landscape with the help of our clients. While doing hour long sessions in close proximity, we have had no in-clinic transmissions. We have also had limited interruption to our schedule. We greatly appreciate all of your honesty and efforts to continue on this path. The fact that you are reading this is a testament to your commitment to your community providers. Thank You!

May the New Year bring more ease, clarity, and joy to us all.

Update 6/11/21; Masks off in the community, however still recommended in healthcare facilities…

…this includes outpatient offices such as Rocky Mountain TheraPros. As Americans are getting vaccinated, the guidelines are evolving. We are responding appropriately to have the safest and most comfortable environment possible.

What has changed at RMTP:

As the number of infections locally have significantly dropped, we have loosened our policy on mandatory hand washing, temperature taking, and covid-19 consents prior to every treatment. If the number of cases in our community rises again significantly, we will return to these procedures.

What has not changed at RMTP:

Please continue to wear your mask (one with 2 layers or more of tightly woven material) to and throughout your appointment regardless of your vaccination status. Use of high quality air filtration and high standard of cleaning will always to be standard procedure at RMTP.

If you are ill, please postpone your appointment.

If you have had a known exposure and you are unvaccinated, please postpone your appointment for 14 days from your exposure, or after a negative test result taken 5-7 days post exposure.

If you have had a known exposure and you are vaccinated and you are asymptomatic, please take your temperature prior to coming in. Please let your provider know so that we can assist you in completing our high risk protocol when you arrive (this simply is ensuring that you have a high quality mask on, wash your hands prior to the appointment, check temperature, and your provider will also wear eye protection and keep air filtration on high).

UPDATE 4/4/21; Vaccinations and change in travel restrictions

The staff at RMTP are grateful to be fully vaccinated. We are however, continuing to take appropriate precautions both professionally and personally. We are now able to drop the post travel restrictions. We do still ask that you postpone your appointments for up to 2 weeks following any high risk or high exposure situations regardless of if you are vaccinated or not. If you have had a known exposure or are experiencing symptoms, please postpone your session for 2 weeks or until you are symptom free, whichever comes last. If you have a known exposure and are vaccinated and symptom free, let’s chat as this may or may not require you to postpone your session. If you have any questions regarding our COVID policy, please contact us for clarification.

UPDATE 12/2/20; CDC Decreases recommended time for quarantine

CDC announced today that it is lowering the recommended time for quarantine after potential exposure or travel. It is decreasing the recommendation from 14 days to 10 days, or 7 days with no symptoms and a negative diagnostic test not to be taken earlier than 5 days after potential exposure. The decrease to 10 days presents a risk of 1-10% of being contagious with COVID-19.

If possible, a 14 day quarantine is still the safest practice. To stay in line with CDC guidelines, RMTP will also decrease the required minimum to symptom free individuals at 10 days post return from travel, or 7 days post return from travel with a negative test. If you have been exposed to a known case, we are still requiring a 14 day quarantine (and must meet all other criteria from the health department) prior to returning to in-person PT sessions. Please see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/scientific-brief-options-to-reduce-quarantine.html for more details of CDC recommendations.

UPDATE 11/24/20; New Travel Restrictions-

Traveling for the holidays?
Hosting visitors, or having a child fly home for the holidays?
You may need to postpone your PT. 

Due to the significant rise in COVID-19 numbers across our state and nation, Rocky Mountain TheraPros will be requiring clients to wait 7-14 days after arriving from any flights. Please also follow this if someone in your household has flown. If you have a trip coming up and an appointment scheduled within this time frame, please log onto the patient portal and cancel it as soon as possible. If you are uncertain about whether or not you should cancel, feel free to email me the specific scenario and I will let you know. For simplicity, if you are going outside of recommendations (spending time indoors with others from another household with no mask or traveling through an airport or other crowded area), I will ask you to postpone your appointment for a minimum of 7 days for a BFR session when Caitlin can be >6 ft away for 90% of the treatment) and a minimum of 14 days if your appointment is with Tanice. If you have known exposure to someone who is suspected to have COVID-19, or you are experiencing symptoms, the minimum quarantine period is 14 days from the date of exposure. Rapid tests especially in asymptomatic individuals are not a replacement for these quarantine measures. Remember, the Health Department recommends a 14 day quarantine prior to and after travel. Please consider following this for appointments of any kind.
Currently this is our minimum expectation: 

  • Activities outside of current guidelines with no known exposure or symptoms = 7-14 day buffer

  • Symptoms or known exposure = 14 day quarantine.

**Alternative option - switch your appointment to a telehealth visit**

MASKS - Everyone is quite familiar with our policies at this point. This is a reminder that masks in our practice are mandatory - ALL OF THE TIME. This includes keeping your nose covered as well. Please wear a clean mask that fits you well so that you do not have to touch it during your session. Once you touch your mask, your hands are no longer clean. We may ask you to wash or use hand sanitizer if you have to touch your mask, phone, water bottle, purse, etc once you are in your session. Masks are not a suggestion, they are a requirement.

Caitlin and I will be wearing face shields in addition to our masks as an extra precaution to further protect our clients and ourselves.  We also have safety googles available for your use upon request. We are working very hard to ensure that we can safely continue high quality, in-person treatments and we need your help to maintain our high standards. Please remember that if you have been exposed and come in for a session, we will be required to close the entire clinic for 2 weeks. I am confident that with our current measures and new travel policy that we can continue to offer services in a safe environment. 

This is a rapidly evolving situation and I will send out a new email if the policy is updated. Thank you for being flexible. We are all in this together and we are so very grateful for your continued support. 

April, 2020 -

Open for in person sessions!

We are open for business! If you would like to schedule an in-person, you can do so here. We have also made arrangements with Flying Dog Fitness to have exclusive use of the gym on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for BFR clinic hours.

Still feel more comfortable receiving Telehealth? Movement assessments, education, self-care techniques, and exercise progression are instrumental in PT and can provide great results even in the absence of manual therapy. I will continue offering Telehealth sessions for those who are at higher risk, self-isolating due to potential exposure, practicing extra precaution, or just prefer to get their PT in the comfort of their own home :)

New procedures in place to minimize risk of transmission…

-       Clients and providers will wear face coverings. If you do not have your own clean, multilayer mask which fits well enough to stay in place during treatment, we have loaners.

-       Clients will be asked to wash hands thoroughly (using pre surgical hand washing technique) before and after each session.

-       Temperature of staff will be taken each day as well as temperature of clients before each session. We encourage clients to take their temperature at home before coming in if possible.

-       Clients will be required to sign a statement that they have not had any COVID-19 related symptoms or been in contact with someone who is suspected to be infected in the last 2 weeks before every session. If you are not able to honestly agree to this statement, please cancel your appointment with as much notice as possible. Cancelation fees will be waived for the time being.

-       If a provider is symptomatic or has been exposed to someone with suspected COVID-19, this provider will cancel future appointments and self-isolate for the appropriate time frame.

-       An air filtration unit will be in use in the private treatment room.

-       Increased time scheduled between each session for thorough disinfecting of the treatment room and areas of the barn where clients and staff will have contact with any surfaces.

-       Providers will bring a clean change of clothes to wear only for work.

 While these measures will minimize the risk of spreading a contagion, we unfortunately cannot make any guarantees. Because of this, we still encourage individuals at higher risk (immunocompromised, age >60 yrs, other comorbidities, etc) to continue their PT treatments remotely via telehealth.