CASE SCENARIO

Case 3. You are an outpatient physical therapist, and one of your patients, Joe, is under your care for restorative physical therapy secondary to a sporting accident. Although you instruct Joe to hold each stretch you prescribe for 30 to 60 seconds, you hold your stretches for 6 seconds when you stretch in the clinic during your lunch break, and Joe happens to be present and notices you. Despite your request, Joe may mimic you, his doctor, and not hold his stretches for a significant duration.

As his Physical Therapist, I will tell Joe not to mimic my 6-second hold during stretching because unlike him, I am presently not suffering from any injury because of a sporting accident. What I was doing was just a stretch and hold that a normally conditioned person would do. I would advice him that he needs to strictly follow the 30-60-second hold as he performs his stretches so that he could go back to his normal state as well as his limit in function could greatly enhance after a few sessions when my instructions are diligently followed. Moreover, I would also respectfully tell him that what we're doing is restorative physical therapy which is medically indicated thus, we must strictly follow. However, as a Physical Therapist, I am seen to be a medical professional and an expert in the field of nutrition, fitness, and body composition wellness, thus, I am greatly expected to be a good fitness role model to my patient by doing the right stretching exercise so as to avoid them mimicking my actions that are contrary to my advice.