Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
About Physical Therapy

Physical therapists, also known as PTs, are health care professionals who evaluate and treat people with health problems resulting from injury or disease. PTs assess joint motion, muscle strength and endurance, balance and coordination, neurological function, function of the heart and lungs, and performance of activities required in daily living, among other responsibilities. PTs also focus on patient education, ergonomics (body mechanics), fitness and wellness. More than 90,000 physical therapists practice in the U.S. today, treating nearly 1 million people every day.

Physical therapists attain their knowledge and skills through extensive academic and clinical education. To enter the profession, physical therapists must have completed at least four years of college, graduated from an accredited professional education program, and secured a license by successfully completing a state licensure examination. All professional education programs include basic science and clinical science courses and emphasize the science, theory, and practice of physical therapy. The curriculum includes opportunities to apply and integrate theory through extensive clinical education in a variety of practice settings. Most physical therapists now enter the profession with a post-baccalaureate degree. Most recently, Doctorate programs in Physical Therapy (DPT) have become available and will become the way of the future.

Physical therapy places great emphasis on the evaluation process. Your physical therapist will take the time to talk with you and perform a thorough physical evaluation to identify the dysfunction that causes your pain. Your physical therapist will plan a treatment regimen suited to your individual problem and begin working to restore proper motion and ease discomfort. Treatment may include: heat, cold, massage, traction, electrical stimulation, laser treatment, manual therapy, joint mobilization, exercise for stretching or strengthening, cardiovascular endurance enhancement, balance and coordination exercises, gait training, and skills training to improve activities of daily living and restore function. Your physical therapist will also help you continue therapy on your own with a home program designed to fit your needs. The goal of physical therapy is to return you to normal life as soon as possible with the skills you need to prevent re-injury.

Many patients think that they know how to properly exercise, manage pain, and rehabilitate themselves. Many times we hear explanations from patients for why they do not need therapy and often we hear the horror stories of what happened when they tried to manage the care themselves. A physical therapist is a health care professional, educated specifically in physical rehabilitation. PTs attend continuing education programs annually, are able to differentiate one dysfunction or injury from another, and PTs work closely with your referring physician in the development of your rehabilitation program. More importantly, with physical therapy comes patient education. Because your physician may not always have the time to explain to you exactly what your injury, dysfunction, or disability entails, your physical therapist many times will be the one to educate you on the specifics of your problem, the course of action required to correct it, and how to prevent it from reoccurring. Therefore, physical therapy focuses on education, correction and prevention.

Physical therapy sessions will generally make you feel better after the first or second visit. However, there are some techniques used during the session that can be painful, for example stretching. You may also experience some muscle soreness after strengthening exercises. These reactions are completely normal to the healing process. As your therapy progresses you will feel better, and have greater ease in movement and activity. The rule of thumb is it takes time to create trauma to the body, so it takes time to heal from it. Healing takes time, diligence and compliance. The home program is critical to the early healing process and can significantly help to speed recovery.

Almost everyone can benefit from physical therapy. Physical therapists see patients for a multitude of reasons. Patients with reduced strength, endurance or movement range because of neurological, orthopedic, or work/sports-related problems may be referred to a physical therapist. Patients may also be referred after surgery or acute illness such as after ACL reconstruction or a rotator cuff repair. Patients with structural changes due to aging or disease can benefit from the assistance of a physical therapist to improve posture and the control of movement. Physical therapists can conduct work-site analysis and ergonomic classes to prevent job-related injuries. Physical therapists also work with athletes and weekend warriors to design and implement training and conditioning programs to improve performance abilities, rehabilitate trauma, and reduce the risk of injury. Most importantly, physical therapists can help prevent the need for invasive procedures such as surgery, after an injury has occurred. If you think you may be a candidate for physical therapy, speak to your physician or to a physical therapist.

Physical therapy treatment will restore the function of the body. You may benefit from greater range of motion in your joints and enhanced muscle strength. You can maximize your cardiovascular endurance, and develop ways to improve your health and well-being. Physical therapy treatments will reduce and often help to eliminate your pain, swelling, and discomfort. Improving your posture is also another benefit of physical therapy. Having greater trunk control and eliminating muscle imbalances is very important to your health. Improving balance, coordination, and gait are also critical to functioning better in life. These are just to name a few.

Oftentimes, your physician will give you a recommendation or a listing of physical therapists in your area. Sometimes your insurance company will guide you with regard to who is "in network" for your insurance plan. If you have a specific request, you need to let your physician or insurance company know. Ultimately, however, the decision as to where you receive your care is up to you.

Recently, the State of New Jersey has passed a Direct Access law allowing physical therapists to see patients without a written prescription from a physician. However, since this is a recent change in the law, most insurance companies have not recognized this fact and still require proof of obtaining a written prescription from the physician to allow payment for physical therapy. In light of the limits imposed by the insurance companies, our office still requires a written prescription be obtained from a physician prior to receiving care at our office. Prescriptions may come from any licensed medical physician (M.D. or D.O.), podiatrist (for foot related diagnoses), chiropractor (for spinal related diagnoses) or dentist (for TMJ or oral fracture diagnoses).

If you do not have a regular physician or physician specialist and would like our assistance in selecting a physician that may be right for you, please feel free to contact our office for assistance.

We also offer a free consultation for anyone who would like to understand more about the benefits of physical therapy and have not yet seen their physician. Simply contact our office and let our staff know you are interested in a receiving a PT consult. One of our physical therapists will assess your situation and advise you on whether physical therapy is right for you. We can even provide a written letter for you to take with you to your physician that will outline our findings and recommendations.

10 Questions To Ask Your PT ... And Why!

So there you are with yellow pages in hand looking up "physical therapists". Or perhaps a friend recommends a PT, but it turns out to be a friend of theirs whom he owes a favor. Often, referrals are made to places where people have a vested interest.

Maybe you are more interested in whom you think is best qualified to address your needs and goals. Following are some questions that will help you determine if your physical therapist truly is the best qualified to treat you.

1. Are you a licensed physical therapist?"
   You absolutely want your physical therapy evaluation and treatment to be done by a licensed physical therapist. Physical therapists and physical therapy assistants are licensed by the NJ State Board of Physical Therapy. Treatments may be rendered either by a licensed physical therapist or physical therapy assistant. Your medical condition requires the special knowledge of your physical therapist. You and your insurance company are paying for this level of expertise. Despite it being illegal in NJ, many sites have unlicensed staff educating you on your condition and/or treating you with exercise programs that they design, all at the level of cost intended for the personalized care by your physical therapist. This is profitable to the facility, but you and your insurance company are being seriously short-changed in the quality of care you receive.
   
2. "What are your credentials and have you treated this type of problem before?"
   Foremost, make sure your care is provided by a licensed physical therapist and/or physical therapist assistant. In NJ, therapists are required to display their license prominently in the facility and wear a name tag displaying their credentials.
   Physical therapists, like most other health-care professionals, specialize in one or more specific types of treatment. Some specialties are orthopedics, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome, hand therapy, sports medicine, neurology and geriatrics, just to name a few. Those that specialize regularly attend seminars and lectures on the latest evaluation and treatment techniques and therefore are the most informed and up-to-date on how to best treat your injury or condition. Some physical therapists can even obtain board certification in their area of specialization or become certified and/or licensed in related fields such as athletic training or strength & conditioning.
4. "Is the facility owned by the physical therapist, or by a large company or physician group?"
   You want a physical therapist that can make an independent, totally unbiased judgment as to your need for and ability to benefit from physical therapy. Feel free to ask your referring physician if he/she gains financially by referring you to a particular facility. Find out who owns the facility and think twice if the answer is someone other than a physical therapist. Non-physical therapists who are owners will make decisions for their own financial gain rather than for your benefit. Physical therapists have their license at stake and are bound by Standards of Care and Ethics.
5. "What are your financial policies?"
   You should be familiar with your own insurance coverage, what it pays, and what it does not pay. Insurance programs stipulate that there are required co-payments for some benefits. Know whether your physical therapy facility "participates" in your insurance plan. If the facility does participate, then be aware that a policy to waive co-payments or deductibles is insurance fraud and punishable by law. Most physical therapy facilities will ask for co-payments (if required by your insurance plan) on a weekly basis, and bill your insurance company after each visit. Ask to sign a financial agreement with the physical therapy facility, so that both parties are in agreement as to your financial obligation.
7. "What can I expect from my physical therapist?"
   The physical therapist will evaluate your condition, set up a treatment program, answer any questions you may have and keep you abreast of your progress. A good facility will work toward relieving your pain and restoring your function as soon as possible.
8. "Tell me about your facility."
   You want to know if the physical therapist has private treatment rooms, an exercise room, parking close to the office, handicap accessibility. Ask about the office hours. Ask if you will have to wait long for your appointment or if the office runs on schedule.
9. "What type of equipment do you have?"
   It is important to know what type of equipment the physical therapist has to help treat your injury. If they have some specialized equipment, they will tell you - especially if it is injury specific. However, realize that the most important tools physical therapists have is their head (for problem analysis) and their hands (for soft tissue assessment and treatment). Also ask how much one-to-one time you can expect from the therapist on each visit.
10. "What about communicating my condition to my doctor?"
    Your evaluation and progress should be reported by your physical therapist to your doctor(s). This keeps everyone informed so that you will receive a team approach to your care and allows the therapist to provide you with the maximum benefit from your treatments.
11. "May I meet with your staff and see your facility?"
    If you are going to trust the physical therapist to treat your injury, you should be totally certain in your mind that he or she is fully capable to treat you. The physical therapist should be willing to answer any questions you may have prior to setting up your treatment sessions. You, your doctor and your physical therapist must work together as a team. Therefore open communication is vital.
12. "Will I get an evaluation and the opportunity to discuss my treatment goals? Will that same person be responsible for all of my treatments?"
    All patients should receive an evaluation that includes a subjective history, a listing of objective findings, a problem list, treatment goals, and a plan of care that integrates these. There should be a timetable to achieve all goals. It is your right to discuss your condition and ask as many questions as you need to feel comfortable and sure that you understand the entire rehabilitation process.
    
    Continuity between the evaluation and treatment sessions should always be maintained. The greatest degree of continuity comes with keeping scheduled appointments and requesting that you see the same therapist each visit. Each physical therapist should maintain a schedule that offers the widest variety of treatment time options. Setting appointments in advance helps ensure that you will see the same therapist on each visit.

In general starting physical therapy should be done as early as possible. Initiating physical therapy early on will reduce the overall treatment time that you will require by not allowing the problem to become chronic. If you are in pain and or you are in an acute state, your program will be modified according to your signs and symptoms. What is done for you in physical therapy depends on the clinical stage you are presenting in, not just the diagnosis. Therefore, your care will be modified according to the signs and symptoms during the acute, sub-acute, and chronic phases of your problem.

Absolutely. If you have a problem that you think can be helped with physical therapy, feel free to give us a call first. We will offer you a free consultation with one of our physical therapists. We will assess your situation, and if necessary, even write a letter to your doctor that you can take with you on your visit to his/her office. You can also give your doctor a call. If not sure, he/she is welcome to contact us as well. In today's healthcare environment, if you feel physical therapy can be helpful to you, you can simply ask your doctor for a prescription.