FAQ
Common Physical Therapy Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
GENERAL
Whether you have or have not received physical therapy treatment in the past, there are a variety of options for you, and almost all of them look different. At Accelerate Physical Therapy, we pride ourselves on spending the necessary one on one time to educate you on your condition, why it continues to affect your life, and what you can do to actively rid yourself of pain and get back to the things you love. We are with you every step of the way to guide and coach you through your rehabilitation. If we can help you understand WHY you are in pain, it will make it that much easier for you to change your habits, move more effectively, and fix the problem. We empower you with long-term solutions to prevent recurrence and keep you out of pain. An added bonus is our flexible, real-time online access to our physical therapists’ schedules as well as app-based technology for you to apply the principles you’ve learned in physical therapy at home. We are always adapting with the most advanced technology to improve your experience as a client.
Physical Therapy is one of the most conservative measures in alleviating pain as well as improving mobility and strength. Think of it as an alternative to surgical intervention, injections, and medication, but can also be used in conjunction with any of these to improve your quality of life. Much of the testing and intervention we do in physical therapy helps to determine whether there is a functional or structural problem by evaluating your daily habits, postures, and movements. If we can alter any of these three things and change your pain, then we can say with near certainty that physical therapy will work for you. We encourage all of our new and prospective clients to at the very least try physical therapy treatment before considering surgery or injections.
All physical therapists are different in terms of training, experience, communication style, and applications of their craft. Likewise, the clinics they work in make it difficult for them to consistently perform well at times. There are common themes amongst other professions, and physical therapy is no different. We stand firm on our ability to have experienced physical therapists, a well constructed training program, and are humble enough to adapt and modify our treatment plans when something isn’t working. Ultimately, we attempt to pair you with a physical therapist that will fit your needs best and optimize your experience. If you have been to a physical therapist in the past, and you are unable to identify WHAT condition you have, WHY you have it, and HOW you can solve the problem, then you need to look elsewhere. Although the delivery of information may be different, each of our physical therapists have the same core beliefs in how physical therapy should be practiced. You will find we all work together and bounce ideas off of each other to get the best results.
Your treatment will begin with a variety of questions from your physical therapist, in which they will dive into more details regarding your specific injury: when it started, how it has or hasn’t changed over time, what aggravates it, and what treatments you have or haven’t attempted previously. Once all the necessary information is gathered, it helps us paint a picture as to what tissues are involved and how they continue to get irritated based on your mobility, muscle performance, and movement strategies or postural habits. We then determine which of the three is the primary contributor to your injury, and this helps develop your specific treatment plan. Sometimes all three can be an issue, but typically it’s just one or two.
This is completely dependent on your prognosis from the physical therapist and what they recommend for continuing your care. This can range anywhere from a few visits in total to multiple visits per week depending on the specifics of your case. A typical plan of care is 2-3 times per week for 4-6 weeks. Again, this is just a guideline and every person doesn’t fit the same mold.
All clients are able to schedule appointments online in real-time by clicking on the “Schedule Appointment Online” link on any of our website pages. This service is also available in Onpatient, our patient engagement portal. Our Electronic Health Record software automatically updates our schedules in real-time as appointments become available.
YOUR VISIT
Any type of loose comfortable clothing is appropriate for physical therapy. If you would wear it to the gym, then it’s safe for Physical Therapy.
All appointments are 45 minutes, one on one with a Doctor of Physical Therapy.
All necessary forms can be filled out and signed online prior to your appointment if you choose to do so, through Onpatient. Onpatient is our patient engagement portal, and can be accessed through the link under the “Resources” tab. Our Client Care Coordinator will also email you a link to Onpatient prior to your first appointment.
You will need a form of identification (i.e. Driver’s License or ID card), a referral from a medical doctor (if you have one), medical insurance ID (if you decide to use insurance), and all intake forms if you are able to access them online.
We do not require masks for our clients and leave it up to each individual to make a decision on masking. However, we do require all office and physical therapy staff to be masked according to CDC guidelines. We will continue to modify our policy as additional information is gathered by the appropriate state and local authorities.
INSURANCE AND PAYMENTS
We currently accept Medicare and all major PPO insurances including Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna/ASH, and United Healthcare. We also accept Altamed HMO insurance, Worker’s Compensation, and Tricare for both active and retired military. We are always looking for new HMO and PPO contracts, so please let us know if you have a unique plan and we will make every effort to join the network. Visit our resources page to learn more.
Every insurance plan is different. Some plans include deductibles, in which you are responsible for all physical therapy costs until the deductible is met. The average cost per visit is about $125-150 for an evaluation and roughly $75 for each follow-up visit. Other insurance plans include a co-insurance, in which your insurance will pay for a portion of your treatment sessions. The percentage insurance will cover is dependent on your specific plan. If you decide to pay for physical therapy services without using insurance, you can see our pricing under the “Resources” tab.
Do I need a referral from a medical doctor before I begin physical therapy evaluation and treatment?
This completely depends on YOUR specific insurance plan. Our Client Care Coordinator will verify all benefits prior to your first appointment, and will inform you if a referral is required.
- REQUIRED: Medicare, Altamed (HMO), Worker’s Compensation (i.e. One Call, Corvel, Medrisk, Onsite Physio), Tricare, Personal Injury/Lien
- MAY BE REQUIRED: Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield Blue Cross, Cigna, United PPO
We do offer affordable non-insurance rates, which you can find under the “Resources” tab. If you need more than one session, we have a variety of packages to make it cheaper for you to continue care. We are committed to ensuring that we have the most competitive rates in the physical therapy market.
OTHER
Just because you have a “structural” problem doesn’t mean physical therapy can’t help you. Many studies have been conducted that have shown structural anatomical problems in both healthy and unhealthy (i.e. patients with pain) subjects. There are times when you may have “structural” sources of pain as seen on imaging, and there are other times where “structural” things may be present but are not the source of pain. Visit our treatment area to learn more about how a physical therapy evaluation can help determine whether your pain is caused by a structural issue, or if it’s just the way you move that causes irritation to a specific muscle, tendon, ligament, or joint.
Traditionally, physical therapists and chiropractors have been big competitors. We are firm believers that both forms of treatment can be used to keep you moving healthy and pain-free. Physical therapists tend to focus on movement retraining, improving soft tissue and joint mobility, and muscle performance to restore normal biomechanics, while chiropractors use a variety of techniques to reduce positional faults, decompress the spine, and improve joint health and mobility. Although there are subtle differences, both can help you achieve your goals of living a pain-free life.
English and Spanish. Because we offer a text message service to our business line, we have the ability to communicate via text for scheduling, insurance verification, and treatment plans for languages other than English.
Schedule an Appointment
Schedule a 45-minute one on one session with one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy and get started on your path to recovery.