A Humorous Take on Physical Therapy
Although physical therapy has become commonplace over the past 30 years, it’s still rare that you’ll find it referenced in pop culture. Sure, you may encounter some scenes of PT in a sports documentary, but that’s about it for on-screen representations of the way PT should be done. One iconic TV show, however, devoted an entire episode to the way it shouldn’t be done. “Seinfeld” set its caustic sights on a less-than-friendly physical therapist in “The Kiss Hello,” an episode from season six.
In the episode, George begins seeing Elaine’s friend Wendy, a PT, for treatment of his sore arm. Like many “Seinfeld” storylines, this one begins benignly before spiraling into outrageousness. George gets upset when Elaine chastises him for asking Wendy to look at his arm outside of the office, calling Wendy a “delicate genius” who can’t be disturbed outside of work. He then gets enraged in classic George fashion when told he’ll need to pay for an appointment he cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice. [Therapist’s note: 24-hour cancellation policies are common because it is unfair to other patients seeking appointments for you to cancel on such short notice.]
While George is wrong to feel aggrieved about these matters — not that George ever needs much justification to feel aggrieved — he later gets proof that Wendy isn’t as exacting with her own schedule as she is with her patients. She heads off to a skiing trip with Elaine, cancelling her appointments with less than a day’s notice. “Oh, I’m sorry, I require 24 hours’ notice for a cancellation,” George pointedly tells the receptionist after arriving for his now-cancelled appointment. “Now, as I see it, you owe me $75.”
Of course, this irony is played for laughs, but we believe it’s also instructive on what not to do as a practice. At In Motion O.C., we honor our appointments and value our patients’ time. While we’ve devoted our lives to studying the art and science of physical therapy, you won’t find any “delicate geniuses” here — just a team of friendly folks waiting to help you live pain-free.
