Welcome to our Patient and Client Q&A section. The purpose this section is to answer some of the questions you have before you ask them and to give you an idea of the questions other patients and clients have asked.
If you have a question of a more immediate or personal nature that you want answered before you arrive for your visit, please contact us anytime!
Because of our expertise. We are widely regarded and respected as leading experts in physical therapy. Physicians regularly send their own office staff and family members to our facility. We are dedicated to resolving your problems in an environment that is welcoming and relaxed. Patients receive personalized care, not an assembly line atmosphere. If you are still not sure, feel free to give us a call and stop in to speak to one of our therapists.
You are our partner in your recovery. Your physical therapist cannot do it without you! We ask that all patients and clients cooperate by following through with their home exercise programs and instructions, as this is extremely important in expediting your recovery.
We ask the following of our patients and clients:
In physical therapy, the goals should be to resolve your problem, not just temporarily relieve it. Although medication and other forms of treatment can be helpful in relieving symptoms, physical therapy produces a long term result. The physician may opt to utilize medication in conjunction with physical therapy depending on your diagnosis. Additionally, physical therapy unlike some other forms of treatment, is not designed to go on as a maintenance program. Because we look to resolution, maintenance is not generally necessary. During your physical therapy, you will be taught injury prevention and excercises to continue to keep you healthy.
Oftentimes, your physician will recommend particular physical therapist or a clinic in your area. Sometimes your insurance company will guide you with regard to who is “in network” for your insurance plan. Ultimately, however, the decision as to where you receive your care is up to you. If you have a specific request, let your physician or insurance company know. If we are not in network for your insurance company most plans have out-of-network benefits that will allow you your choice in physical therapy. Call us to work out the details. We are happy to call and get your insurance benefits prior to your arrival.
For your first visit you will need your insurance card, a photo ID and any paperwork that your physician asked you to take with you to physical therapy. To save you time on your initial visit, you may want to print out the Patient Data Intake Form and the Patient Medical History Form from this website under the “PATIENT” button at the top of the page. Please fill them out and bring them with you. Additionally, if you are utilizing any type of brace, splint, or crutches, those should come with you.
In general, wear comfortable clothing to physical therapy. If you are presenting with a problem of your cervical spine, upper back or shoulders, the therapist can provide you with a gown or if you prefer, please or wear a loose fitting shirt which may be needed to expose these areas. If you are coming for a lower-extremity problem, shorts or gym pants are important. You can bring clothing with you if you need to change at the clinic.
If your physician gives you a referral to physical therapy, simply call our office for an appointment. Our clinic hours and locations are explained on the location and hours page of this website. Our office staff will get all the necessary information from you and assist you with an appointment.
Although most insurance companies do cover physical therapy, what they cover specifically varies greatly. Please review our billing and insurance participation section on this website, and if you have additional questions regarding your specific insurance give us a call. Our billing office is located at the Broken Arrow, OK clinic and can be reached at (918) 259-9522 or toll free (877) 259-9520.
Absolutely! If you have a problem that you think can be helped with physical therapy, feel free to give us a call. After discussing with you the specific problem you present with, we can give you a better idea if it is something that is manageable with physical therapy. You can also give your doctor a call. If he or she is not sure, he or she is welcome to contact us as well. In today’s healthcare, if you feel physical therapy can be helpful to you, you will need to stress your feelings to the doctor you are seeing. You must have a prescription or a referral from your physician/nurse case manager to attend physical therapy.
If you have a recurrent problem after your discharge from physical therapy, how and if you will return to physical therapy will depend on a number of factors. It would depend if it was a re-injury of the same specific problem, how long it has been since you were last in physical therapy, how long it’s been since you saw the physician (if a physician referred you), and many other factors. In general, if you are discharged from physical therapy and feel the need to return, you should contact the physical therapist who treated you. He or she will review your chart, discuss your new developments with your physician and call back to talk with you about what should be done, depending on the problem you are having.
The answer depends entirely on the physical therapist’s examination/evaluation to determine your diagnosis and prognosis.
Because your physical therapist will perform a meticulous examination/evaluation, quantifying and qualifying all the deficits and problems you are presenting with, examination/evaluation to determine progress are possible. You will be re-examined based your diagnosis as well as the severity of the problem. Additionally, the physical therapist always needs to be aware of follow-up visits with your physician as a re-examination may be performed so that the physician can be updated at that time.
Visit times will vary according to what the physical therapist finds in the evaluation. There is no specific time limit for physical therapy. Whatever is found to be appropriate during the examination/evaluation will become part of the patient’s or or client’s program and the program will be updated as appropriate. Typically most therapy visits range between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours.
The therapy program you receive will depend on what the physical therapist finds in the examination/evaluation. Our programs include coordination among all people involved in your care (other health care professionals, family, friends, caregivers, and others), communication to ensure a good exchange of information, thorough documentation of the care and services provided, and instruction to you and others involved in your care to promote and optimize our services. Most physical therapy plans of care will include three categories: therapeutic exercise, functional training in self-care and home management, and functional training in work or school, community, and leisure environments. Other programs might include manual therapy techniques; use of equipment such as supports, orthotics, or prosthetics; skin repair and protection techniques; electrotherapeutic modalities; and mechanical modalities.
On your first visit, your physical therapist will perform an examination/evaluation to determine what deficits and/or problems you have that can be addressed in physical therapy. The examination/evaluation involves a thorough injury history and tests and measures that allow the physical therapist to get a more specific understanding of your condition. Your physical therapist will make a clinical judgement as to your diagnosis and prognosis. A treatment program will be developed aimed at resolving the problems identified as well as to attain the goals you set in conjunction with the physical therapist.