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Yesenia Velez-Figueroa

ENC 1102-OM31

3 April 2019

Rhetorical Analysis of PT in Motion Article

In the article, “From the Atlantic: Unsupported Treatments Such as Meniscus Surgeries

'Distressingly Ordinary'” written by PT in Motion, it discusses how in an article in “The

Atlantic” how physical therapy after surgery on certain injuries can implicate more harm than

good. Another article is given as an example as well, called “When Evidence Says No, but

Doctors Say Yes” written by David Epstein. This article looks into the reason behind the therapy

prescription, studies on meniscus surgeries, and unnecessary treatments. The audience targeted

are patients who will or currently attend physical therapy and physical therapist themselves. This

would provide the patients with knowledge and research so that they could save their money, if

necessary, and it will give physical therapists an understanding when physical therapy is needed

for a patient. In order to answer the question of how unnecessary physical therapy treatments

affect patients negatively, I will utilize the example of recovery after meniscus surgery and

observe the different physical therapy methods and treatments related to the recovery process.

The foundation of PT in Motion provides insight into health care, public human interests and

serves as a discussion database for health care professionals on topics of physical therapy (“From

The Atlantic: Unsupported Treatments Such as Meniscus Surgeries ‘Distressingly Ordinary’”).

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has a professional issues magazine called

PT in Motion. Their goal is to promote physical therapy by discussing many topics involving the

relationships between the patients and therapists, health care environment, management methods,

and education. Furthermore, David Epstein is an investigative report. He currently works for
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ProPublica and he is the author of New York Times bestselling novel, The Sports Gene: Inside

the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance.

The purpose of this article is to explore the reasons as to why physical therapy is

unnecessary in certain medical rehabilitation. The study used in this article is rehabilitation after

meniscus surgery. Meniscus surgery is a minimally invasive outpatient surgery that is used to

repair the torn cartilage. The recovery process followed by surgery may take around three to six

months in order to gain full range of motion, return back to sports, and complete daily activities.

In some cases that are not followed by extensive rehabilitation, it may take approximately four to

six weeks to regain strength and mobility without knee swelling. Therefore, patients are referred

to physical therapy to help gain mobility and strengthen the torn cartilage.

Most of the time, patients are ordered to attend physical therapy and patients deny

treatment due to cost and fear of pain. This article introduces the medical procedure known as

APM which stands for arthroscopic partial meniscectomies, in which cases have shown that there

have been more risks when patients are required to do physical therapy. In the article, “From the

Atlantic: Unsupported Treatments Such as Meniscus Surgeries 'Distressingly Ordinary',” it

states, " … a burgeoning body of evidence says that it does not work for the most common

varieties of knee pain" (“From the Atlantic: Unsupported Treatments Such as Meniscus

Surgeries 'Distressingly Ordinary'”). Thus, the outcome of surgeries like this should always be

analyzed by doctors to ensure that they are delivering the best route of patient care, minimalizing

further muscle or movement impairment. Thus, the example that was used in PT in Motion

utilizing logos, one of three of Aristotle’s appeals, in order to logically argue how even with

repair and therapy the pain and discomfort for the patient are still prominent using evidence. The

article also utilizes another one of Aristotle’s appeals, ethos, by referencing many credible
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authors; PT in Motion is a magazine specifically owned by American Physical Therapy

Association (APTA) and David Epstein is an investigative reporter with a particular interest in

sports and science and a master’s degree in journalism.

Doctors do not consider the aftermath of what happens when they prescribe therapy

without understanding what repercussions can happen after the visits. For many patients, their

insurance does not cover all of the visits in which they were prescribed. In the article, “From the

Atlantic: Unsupported Treatments Such as Meniscus Surgeries 'Distressingly Ordinary',” it

states, "Other times, doctors know the state of play perfectly well but continue to deliver these

treatments because it's profitable-or even because they're popular and patients demand them.

Some procedures are implemented based on studies that did not prove whether they really

worked in the first place” (“From the Atlantic: Unsupported Treatments Such as Meniscus

Surgeries 'Distressingly Ordinary'”). This shows how some doctors are thinking about the profit

that the facilities are earning rather than the expenses of the patients. This helps the effectiveness

of the argument through the appeal of pathos because it supports the belief that many people do

not like hospitals because of the payment responsibility if they have no insurance and the belief

that doctors are stealing their money by offering them unnecessary and expensive treatments and

procedures in order to feel better. Thus, patients look for doctors to deliver the best medical and

affordable care possible. Making revenue off of patients is not the moral thing to do especially if

they cannot afford it. Most of the time, this leads to patients not seeking treatment in the end and

progressively worsen in symptoms. On the other hand, in the article “When Evidence Says No,

But Doctors Say Yes,” written by David Epstein, it states, “patients and even doctors themselves

are sometimes unsure of just how effective common treatments are, or how to appropriately
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measure and express such things” (Epstein). This shows how many doctors do not know the most

effective way to carry out a treatment plan and they end up providing a costlier service.

Moreover, physical therapists focus too much time on things that patients can strengthen

on their own. In many cases, patients have been known to be worked out on muscular activities

that they do not need and not working on the proper muscles. In the article, “Expert Advice for

the Millions Who Are Referred to Physical Therapy Each Year,” written by Consumer Reports,

it states, “And some physical therapists perform proven remedies improperly or spend too much

time on things that you can do without their guidance” (Consumer Report). Thus showing how

the lack of urgency to work on what a patient actually needs is replaced by working on the

unnecessary or methods that the patient can perform by themselves without risk of injuries. It is

important that patients are receiving the best physical care to ensure that they can avoid falls and

any other possible injury that can be caused by weakened muscles or trauma. Therefore, health

care professionals must always analyze the patient's mobility and strength to ensure that they are

focusing on what body part needs the rehabilitation. Thus, this is mostly seen in elders whose

muscles are weakening as they get older and they are referred by their doctors for muscle

strengthening and help in coordination. Avoiding falls in elderly patients is very crucial because

their bones are fragile and can lead to broken bones or hospitalizations, but the right physical

therapy is needed for the results to be successful.

To conclude, in the article, “From the Atlantic: Unsupported Treatments Such as

Meniscus Surgeries 'Distressingly Ordinary',” PT in Motion utilizes all of Aristotle’s appeals,

ethos, pathos, and logos to argue that unnecessary physical therapy can cause more injury to a

patient rather than help them improve. He utilizes logos by referring to evidence from studies on

meniscus surgery to prove to the audience that certain treatments performed are not always
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necessary for the recovery of a patient. He also uses pathos to relate to the common view that

doctors tend to steal patients’ money with unnecessary and high-priced medical bills, with

physical therapy being an example. Finally, he applies the appeal of ethos to demonstrate

credibility. The article is written by a highly qualified group of people: the American Physical

Therapy Association owned magazine PT in Motion and the investigative reporter with a

master’s degree in journalism and an interest in science and sports David Epstein. Also, there

have been articles written to support the claims by PT in Motion, such as the article by The

Washington Post called “Expert Advice for the Millions Who Are Referred to Physical Therapy

Each Year” and the article by David Epstein called “When Evidence Says No, But Doctors Say

Yes”. Overall, I will be able to utilize the text in the research project because it demonstrates the

use of appeals to make the argument that physical therapy after surgery on certain injuries can

implicate more harm than good. The appeals assist with serving the purpose to explore the

reasons as to why physical therapy is unnecessary in certain medical rehabilitation. Thus, the text

presents an issue and opinions with a sufficient amount of evidence to provide new insights on

the controversy with physical therapy. All three texts intertwine together showing major

examples of intertextuality while each author providing their own narrative or examples on the

subject, thus making the text their own.

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Works Cited

Consumer Reports. "Expert Advice for the Millions Who Are Referred to Physical

Therapy Each Year." The Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2015,

www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/expert-advice-for-the-millions-who-

are-referred-to-physical-therapy-each-year/2015/01/05/c555dd5c-70c7-11e4-893f-

86bd390a3340_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.ebee6bf5d761. Accessed 3 Apr.

2019.

Epstein, David. "When Evidence Says No, but Doctors Say Yes." ProPublica, 22 Feb.

2017, www.propublica.org/article/when-evidence-says-no-but-doctors-say-yes. Accessed

3 Apr. 2019.

"From the Atlantic: unsupported treatments such as meniscus surgeries 'distressingly

ordinary.'" PT in Motion, May 2017, p. 45. Academic OneFile,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A495032863/AONE?u=plan95278&sid=AONE&xid

=2e02cd60. Accessed 2 Apr. 2019.