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What one difficult patient taught a physical therapist about bias, burnout, and the human side of effective care.
Matthew Teijido, PT, DPT, recounts a challenging patient (not pictured) who taught him a valuable lesson in perseverance and overcoming biases.I've had many defining moments in my career as a physical therapist. I've had wins, complicated experiences, losses turned into opportunities, and, of course, failures. But in one instance, I experienced all of the above. The patient I dreaded. Let's give her a name: Katie.
Date: February 1, 2026
Contact: aptamag@apta.org
Content Type: Column
Matthew Teijido, PT, DPT
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