Physical therapists are held to the same standard of practice as every other medical professional. That is, they have to administer physical therapy techniques that are in line with generally accepted practices. This adherence is necessary in order to help the patient recover their mobility and strength in a safe way and using techniques that have been proven to work for countless numbers of patients. You need to call a physical therapy malpractice lawyer when a physical therapist decides to ignore their training and causes harm to the patient.
At Wapner Newman, we help patients that have been injured by bad medical care. If you or a loved one has been hurt during physical therapy, contact our team today to schedule a free consultation by calling (215) 569-0900.
Why Choose the Law Firm of Wapner Newman for Help?
You have a right to live your life free from injury, and a negligent physical therapist can rob you of that right. When you felt you needed help from a physical therapist, you also felt that you would get the best possible medical care from a trained professional. Finding out that your trust was betrayed and your rights were violated is an unpleasant situation, not to mention the setbacks it causes. A Philadelphia Philadelphia medical malpractice attorney can help you pursue a physical therapist medical malpractice case on your behalf.
At Wapner Newman, our physical therapy malpractice attorneys can help you recover damages that you suffered as a result of the delivery of improper physical therapy techniques. We know that these cases can be complicated, but we want to help our clients receive justice in the form of fair compensation for the pain they’ve suffered.
Defining Physical Therapy Malpractice
Physical therapists are trained to help people recover their mobility and find relief from the chronic pain caused by an injury. Unfortunately, a physical therapist can make the conscious decision to go against their training and use techniques that are harmful to the patient. This type of negligence can lead to further injury, resulting in a clear case of physical therapy malpractice.
It’s worth noting that not all injuries caused by a physical therapist can be considered malpractice. Accidents happen, and they’re not usually actionable with a lawsuit. However, the signs that a physical therapist was negligent in their care include:
- Making the patient perform exercises that make an existing injury worse or cause a new one
- Failure to monitor the patient to make sure that they’re doing the exercise or stretching correctly
- Ignoring a patient’s complaint of pain while the patient does an exercise or stretching
- Mishandling of the patient by the physical therapist in a manner that’s avoidable
- Hyperextension of the limbs and joints by the physical therapist to the point of injury
- Using broken equipment
- Leaving a patient unsupervised on equipment.
All of these issues and others like them can injure a patient further or introduce new injuries.
Injuries Caused by Physical Therapy Malpractice
The goal of physical therapy is to help you regain your accustomed way of moving after an injury. An injury can cause restrictions in your movement and motions that hurt or are otherwise uncomfortable. Physical therapy retrains your body and mind to work together in overcoming the trauma of an injury. You may feel uncomfortable or a little sore after a physical therapy session, but you shouldn’t hurt, and you shouldn’t be put through exercises that make you feel worse than you did before you started.
Some of the types of injuries that can be caused by physical therapy malpractice include:
- Strained or sprained ligaments or tendons
- Broken bones
- Lower back injury
- Fatigue
- Strokes
- Heart attack
- Anxiety and/or depression.
If you or a loved one has suffered from injuries after undergoing physical therapy, you should contact a physical therapy malpractice lawyer for help. A lawyer can help you determine if you have a case of malpractice and investigate the actions that led to your becoming injured during your physical therapy sessions.
The Odds of Liability Increase Under Certain Circumstances
A physical therapist that’s working with a physician can use their own judgment and training to engage the patient in the right physical therapy exercises, but they also have to follow the orders of a physician. The physical therapist has to follow the orders of a physician due to the fact that the physician is supposed to have knowledge and experience that’s superior to that of the physical therapist. In other words, the physical therapist has to follow the orders of the physician even if they don’t agree with the approach.
In the event the physician and the physical therapist introduced an error in judgment, they both can be held liable for malpractice. Sometimes the physical therapist isn’t aware that the recommended therapy isn’t correct, which means they’re putting the patient through movements that cause harm instead of healing. A physical therapy malpractice lawyer can help determine if this is the right course of action to take in a lawsuit.
Sometimes your physical therapist and physician are providing you with the proper standard of care, but a piece of equipment at the physical therapy clinic is faulty or working incorrectly. The physical therapist may not be aware of the problem, but you can file a claim against the manufacturer to get the cost of your medical care covered.
Sometimes PT-related Injuries Lead to Lawsuits Beyond Malpractice
If you’ve suffered serious injuries at a physical therapist’s office, you might be able to take legal action that doesn’t involve a medical malpractice claim. For example, if you slip on a slick floor or are injured because of unsafe property conditions in the parking lot, you could file a premises liability claim to get payment for the costs of your injuries.
IF YOU ARE INJURED BECAUSE OF DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT AT THE PHYSICAL THERAPIST’S OFFICE, A PRODUCT LIABILITY CLAIM CAN BE FILED AGAINST THE MANUFACTURER OF THE FAULTY EQUIPMENT TO COVER THE COSTS OF THE INJURY.
You might be unsure of the exact cause of your injury, and that is perfectly fine. You don’t need to know all of these details to explore your legal options. At Wapner Newman, we will investigate the circumstances surrounding your injury and make sure you get the payment you deserve.
Let Our Philadelphia Physical Therapy Malpractice Attorneys at Wapner Newman Help
It’s not easy to make a claim of medical malpractice and negligence against a medical professional, but our Philadelphia physical therapy malpractice attorneys can help you. We’re here to talk with you about the facts of your case and answer your questions about making a claim. Our job is to help you recover damages that are in line with your pain and suffering and help you pay for the associated medical bills that come with a fresh injury.
At Wapner Newman, we understand how deep these injuries can go in terms of physical and mental stress. Call us at (215) 569-0900 to make an appointment for a consultation with one of our physical therapy malpractice attorneys today. We’re here to listen to you, give you an evaluation of your case, and give you insight as to how a physical malpractice therapy lawsuit progresses from start to finish.