Physical Therapy Alpharetta – Top 10 Q&A
The Top 10 Most Commonly Asked Questions… Physical Therapy Alpharetta
Aug 25, 2010
Welcome to Physical Therapy Alpharetta. If you’ve come too discover more about Physical Therapy Alpharetta; then you’ve come to the right place.
3 Shoulder Exercises for Rotator Cuff Injuries
1. What exactly is physical therapy?
Physical therapy originated in the 1920s as a new discipline and field of medicine that provides treatment of physical dysfunction or injury to individuals in need of therapy.
Treatment is made by the use of therapeutic exercise and the application of modalities such as massage, hydrotherapy, electro-modalities and other means that are intended to restore or facilitate normal function or development with or without the use of medicines, surgery, or radiation.
A physical therapist is the health professional specialist that provides such care, also called a physiotherapist.
Physical therapists are experts in how the musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems function and help restore, maintain, and promote overall fitness and health, improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities of patients with injuries or disease.
2. Do I need a doctor’s referral to receive physical therapy?
In most states, a doctor’s referral is not needed.
In the state of Georgia, where my practice is located, patients can see a physical therapist for a consultation or initial evaluation but must seek a physician’s referral for continued treatment.
Check your state’s requirements or call your insurance provider to find out what is necessary for your particular situation.
3. Will my insurance cover physical therapy?
Physical therapy is covered by most insurance plans. As a service to patients, some clinics will call to verify your specific benefits.
As part of insurance verification, our practice will inform you of any benefit limitations, co-pays and deductibles, which is part of your contract with your insurance provider.
In our clinic, we also treat a significant number of self-pay clients who receive a receipt which they can save for records of their annual health care expenses.
As a Certified Medicare Rehab Agency, our practice also accepts Medicare client’s.
As a Medicare client, you are entitled to physical therapy interventions for those injuries, disabilities, and/or diseases which require the skilled services of a licensed physical therapist.
Helping You Regain Function with Personalized Treatment
Medicare will reimburse for necessary services following strict guidelines regarding the necessity of skilled care and documentation of your progress toward achievable goals of function for normal activities of daily living.
4. What can I expect during my first visit?
Typically, your first visit will include a thorough gathering of your past medical history including the symptoms, and/or diagnosis which brought you to seeking the services of your physician and ultimately, a physical therapist.
Next, a physical examination will be conducted of your condition to construct a baseline of findings to assist the therapist in formulating a treatment plan to follow toward reaching functional goals of recovery which have been discussed as part of the initial evaluation.
Most initial visits will include an initiation of treatment, appropriate for your condition, as well as a discussion of responsibilities you will have between treatments to follow at home prior to returning. This dual role of responsibilities in caring for your injury will greatly facilitate a quicker recovery.
Advanced Physical Therapy Treatment
5. How should I prepare for my first physical therapy appointment?
Clients are asked to arrive early for their first appointment to complete all necessary admission forms and health questionnaires which will assist the attending therapist in a timely evaluation, and the ability, in most cases, to initiate an appropriate treatment and home instruction.
Clients should wear comfortable-loose clothing because of the need, in many cases, to exercise in many different positions and on varying treatment surfaces.
Prescribed medications arranged by your physician should continue to be taken in conjunction with physical therapy and should be communicated to your therapist.
6. Is physical therapy painful?
Hands of Experience that Heal
Physical therapy professionals are the experts in assisting in reducing pain from a myriad of injuries and diseases. In the course of evaluating your individual condition your therapist will utilize treatments and treatment strategies to reduce pain and educate you in how to prevent recurrences.
Very few conditions involve an increase in pain, as a part of treatment and as a whole can represent a red flag as to incorrect technique, excessive intensity, overuse or can be inappropriate for inclusion in treatment, at that time.
Your physical therapist will always use pain as a guide during treatment, and as a possible sign toward an additional pathology or undiagnosed injury.
7. Is physical therapy really necessary or can I use self-healing methods to solve an injury myself?
We are Here To Help Speed Your Recovery
Many clients utilize physical therapy after attempting self-healing methods, medicines and a ‘waiting to see if I get over it with time’ approach to their injury and/or complaint.
One of the benefits of seeing a physical therapist for evaluation and maybe subsequent care is to learn early if you are likely to be OK with self-healing or ‘waiting it out’ before your condition worsens or is likely to complicate or delay healing and recovery.
Physical therapists are an indispensable resource to help direct you for any necessary care and treatment to expedite your quick and safe recovery from injury.
8. How long will it take before I begin to feel better?
A Trained Physical Therapist Can Make a Worlds Difference to Your Recovery
Improvement with physical therapy will vary by condition; and honestly, there is not one simple answer to this question.
Discussion with your physical therapist regarding your individual diagnosis and symptoms is paramount to understanding norms for recovery and ‘feeling better’.
There are guidelines to healing and recovery times which help answer this question. And in cases of delayed recovery, the communication between you, your therapist and your physician is essential.
9. Following recovery, is my condition likely to reoccur?
Unfortunately, accidents do happen and a new injury can always occur to the same area.
One of the benefits of physical therapy is learning maintenance exercises and strategies which will help prevent those same injuries and conditions, if followed as a part of your regular exercise routine.
Many injuries are the result of poor technique, whether it be lifting, hitting a tennis ball, running unprepared, or just from poor posture. All of these can be helped and many times eliminated by the exercises and recommendations you learned from your physical therapist.
10. Can I see a physical therapist to design a fitness plan without having an injury or condition that requires treatment?
Getting the Right Treatments to Produce the Right Results
Yes. In the state of Georgia, where my practice is located, you can contact me or my practice regarding the design of a fitness program for any desired goals or activities.
We often have clients who, following their respective treatment, inquire about themselves or family and friends being instructed in the correct exercises and regimens to follow for a lifetime of fitness. These clients recognized the benefits of consulting a physical therapist by necessity and have discovered many other advantages can be derived for a lifetime of good health and good living.
Well… I hope my answer to these most commonly asked questions help you make some important decisions with your Physical Therapy needs.
I hope that if your looking for Physical Therapy in Alpharetta that you’ll seriously consider me and my team of dedicated Physical Therapists to assist you.
Well, I hope that I’ve answered some of the questions you may have about Physical Therapy in Alpharetta.
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