“Sure!” is usually my answer. Here is the inside scoop of what goes through our heads as you talk.
How can I be most helpful in this moment?
Knowing we are not going to be able to do sufficient testing in that moment or give you a full PT program, we will be able to let you know whether you should talk to your physician; offer a couple simple ideas that might help (to protect it/ prevent further irritation or help reduce pain); and maybe suggest that this would be an appropriate thing to get a PT appointment for in order to receive more/ continued guidance and treatment.
Appointments are annoying, do I really need to go to physical therapy?
If there is something that is bothering you enough to want to ask us about, it is likely it would be helpful to at least get a consultation with a physical therapist but here are some questions to consider to support your decision:
- How long has this been going on?
- Years? That doesn’t make it hopeless.
- New problem? Proper management in the short term can help prevent it from becoming a long term problem. With that being said, allowing it to calm down and using the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) method and gentle movements for a day or so to watch for improvement is not a bad idea.
- How high is the pain level?
- Even if it is low, if it’s bugging you and you are sick of it, come talk to us!
- Is it stopping you from living life as you normally would?
- If it is causing you to avoid normal activities or hobbies, causes constant worry about hurting yourself, consistently change the way you are doing regular tasks or movements, that can get old. Doing PT would hopefully allow you to get back to normal life!
- Is it hindering your sleep?
- Sleep is vital for so many functions of your body and losing sleep can cause other health problems and a lack of sleep can prevent healing of the problem itself.
- Has it evolved/ started to include other nearby areas?
- This is common with untreated problems and is, unfortunately, a sign that it is becoming more of a problem. ie. It was just annoying knee pain but now your back is also hurting. PT would aim at restoring proper body mechanics to eliminate secondary problems while working on the initial problem too.
- Have you done PT for this same problem before?
- Did it work? It is worth digging up those exercises and getting them going again!
- It was working but doesn’t seem to be anymore? A PT would be able to take a look at what is going on to see if those exercises need modification or some changes.
- Tried and didn’t work? Every PT has different experience and skills, it would be worth having an evaluation by another PT.
What would going to PT look like?
- Do I need a referral?
- Give us a call and ask. There is no quick answer, every insurance and policy is different. Most do not need a referral in the state of Vermont!
- Does my insurance cover PT?
- Coverage: Per your policy. The easiest option would be to give a quick call and we can tell you or just ask your doctor for a referral. In my experience it is very rare that a doctor would hesitate to support going to PT.
- Visit number: some insurances give you a specific number of covered visits within a category with other types of treatment like occupational therapy or chiropractics so it is helpful to know what your policy states and if you have used any in that category yet in this calendar year. Again, we can help!
- Copay: per individual policy. Most insurances send you the *many* pages of policy information, there is usually a chart that outlines if you have a copay/ how much for each discipline (primary doctors visit versus specialist versus PT)
- No insurance? We have a self pay option, please speak with our billing department to discuss cost.
- Shouldn’t I get an MRI first?
- Not necessarily. Your PT will do a bunch of tests to see what is going on and decide if it is safe to proceed with PT or if imaging is necessary. Usually, imaging is only necessary if PT doesn’t go well. Surprisingly, research shows a poor correlation between imaging (ie. MRI or x-ray) abnormalities and pain so imaging isn’t always the most helpful.
- What should I expect for the first visit?
- Minor paperwork to give your PT more information about what is going on and your medical history, our statement of privacy, and consent to treat you.
- What do I wear?
- Clothes you are comfortable moving in. Depending on what is going on, it might be helpful to be able to expose the painful area for your PT to be able to assess.
- Is it going to hurt?
- I can’t stress communication enough. Just like you, our goal is to make it not hurt! The more you communicate what you are feeling/ when, the better we can cater to keeping you comfortable.
- The first appointment often includes some testing, some of which will be no problem, but some will hopefully also show us specifically what is the problem. Your description already gives a really good idea of what is going on so we know when to be more gentle as we test what will likely not feel good.
- Exercises to improve the problem should feel different. They might not be a cup of joy but that is because we are trying to make things work differently than they have been -> so that you feel different than you have been (aka not in pain). So keep communicating how things make you feel and we can progress your treatment.
- How long will I have to do PT?
- It depends on the problem and the person. As a general rule, the factors that determine how quickly you get better are as follows:
how long it has been a problem (longer usually means it takes longer to fix), how many body parts are involved, and how good you are about following everything we recommend (exercises, activity management, etc.)
- How will we know if PT is working/ when more drastic steps might be necessary?
- After seeing what is going on and the different things that may have caused the problem, every PT will make a list of goals to be aiming for based on testing results. These are regularly revisited with objective measures to ensure things are actually changing with PT treatment. Then the question is: Are you good to go, progressing but need more time, or potentially need to talk to a doctor more and/ or get more imaging?
- Will I just be told I have to start working out?
- Physical therapy treatment typically involves a combination of exercises to reduce pain, exercises to improve the way your body works/moves, and modifying how you are doing things to allow it to heal/ prevent further problems. I tell people, if you want to change how you feel, you should expect to have to change the way you are doing things, at least temporarily.
- More questions? I think I just gave away all the secrets but you know where to find us!
If you need assistance or have any questions, please reach out to us at Dee PT to help you feel good again!
Written by: Kelsey O’Leary PT, DPT