Misconceptions about Physical Therapy
Are you in pain and considering physical therapy as a treatment option? Not sure where to start or who physical therapy is for? This article is going to describe the common misconceptions about physical therapy as well as how physical therapy might benefit you. The goal of this article is to provide you with information to make the best informed decision on whether or not to pursue therapy and how Protailored physical therapy can help you with your pain today!
1. You need a referral before you see a physical therapist.
You do NOT need to see your primary care provider before you see a physical therapist. In the state of Indiana, a physical therapist can see you for 42 days before requiring a script from your provider. In most cases, we perform an initial evaluation on your first visit that gets sent to your PCP who reviews and signs off on the plan of care and allows us to treat you without requiring any other doctors visits or appointments. Different states have different limits on the types or lengths of treatment a physical therapist can provide without a physician referral. Some insurance plans require a referral before they will pay for your physical therapy. Our team can help you answer any questions you may have about starting physical therapy with ProTailored Physical Therapy!
2. Physical therapy is painful or will cause pain.
Physical therapy at ProTailored is aimed to restore function and decrease/minimize your pain to improve your overall quality of life. Our team specializes in hands-on techniques to address your acute or chronic pain. Pain can be associated with the inflammatory process that takes place during the initial stages of healing. However, the first few visits with your therapist are aimed at techniques to minimize your inflammation and pain. After the pain and inflammation is under better management, we are able to progress therapy to focus more on improving your strength, mobility, and flexibility that will overall aid in the recovery process.
3. All physical therapy is the same.
Here at Protailored Physical Therapy, we have a number of different variables that set us apart from our competitors. We have private treatment rooms that allow for privacy during your treatment. You will ALWAYS be one-on-one with your therapist. At ProTailored, we also have a highly trained team of physical therapists with emphasis on manual treatment which differs from the traditional exercise based approach. Having this unique set up and environment allows us to uniquely tailor each session and ensure that every treatment is different and specific to your needs.
4. You will have to stop everything you are doing or things you enjoy to get better.
The goal of our team is to get you back to doing the things you love and enjoy as soon as possible! To decrease pain or aggravating factors, your therapist may recommend reducing or eliminating the aggravating activities to make progress, but this can be as simple as modifying the activity rather than completely stopping it. In addition, your therapist often will incorporate these activities into the treatment plan in order to correct techniques to decrease pain with the activity.
5. Surgery is the only solution to fix my pain.
Physical therapy has been shown to be as effective as surgery in treating a wide variety of conditions or injuries including (but not limited to): rotator cuff tears, labral tears, degenerative disc diseases and/or herniated discs, meniscal tears, arthritis, and more. Physical therapy is a safe and conservative alternative to consider before choosing surgery.
6. Any healthcare provider can perform physical therapy
All physical therapists are required to have their Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) which is a clinical doctorate. Graduates must pass a national exam to be licensed and practice physical therapy. They have a high level of schooling and education with an emphasis and focus on the musculoskeletal system making them movement experts.. This advanced schooling allows them to become experts in any musculoskeletal dysfunction and provide treatment that corrects and/or improves the dysfunction to decrease the current problem and prevent reinjuries from occurring.
7. Physical Therapy is expensive.
Most insurance policies cover some form of physical therapy. Physical therapy will overall reduce the cost associated with health conditions by helping people to avoid unnecessary medical procedures, imaging/scans, and reduce the need for surgery or prescription medications. Not only this, but physical therapy can decrease an individuals’ falls risk therefore avoiding any hospital visits or associated medical bills along with decreasing the likelihood of acute conditions becoming chronic medical conditions.
8. Once you are discharged, you are done with therapy.
Physical therapy is more than just something you do for a few weeks and then completely forget about. It is about lifestyle changes that will allow you to maintain your progress for weeks, months, and years to come. Your therapist will provide you with exercises and discuss lifestyle choices that will allow you to maintain and continue your progress outside the walls of our office. Ultimately, you are in control of your recovery and the maintenance of your progress. Our therapists will work with you on how to adopt healthy habits and develop lifestyle choices to continue your healing journey.
To schedule an appointment at one of Fort Wayne Physical Therapy clinic locations, please call 260-739-0300!