Physical Therapy
Services Provided:
- Outpatient Physical Therapy
- Instruction in exercises to promote recovery
- Exercises to assist in pain reduction
- Manual therapy
- Physical modalities
- Rehabilitation
- Fitting and instruction in the use of canes, walkers, and crutches.
- Trigger point dry needling
- Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM)
- Strength and functional fitness training
How to make an appointment:
Step 1: Provider creates a referral for you to see a physical therapist (PT).
Step 2: The PT or referral management staff reviews and appoints the consult.
Step 3: Receive a phone call from the Referrals Management Center
Step 4: From the options given to you during the phone call, select the appointment date and time that works best for you. The Referrals Management Staff books the appointment for you at that time.
FAQs:
Q: What do physical therapists (PTs) do?
A: PTs are doctors and experts in movement and function. They work to improve health by improving movement, strength, and function. They also help manage and eliminate pain. PTs develop an individual plan of care to address the specific needs of each patient. The plan of care includes education, exercise, functional training, and other hands-on treatments to assist optimal movement and alleviate pain.
Q: Why should I see a PT?
A: Movement is medicine, and PTs treat pain through movement and education. PTs can help increase physical activity levels to improve your overall health and help reduce your risk of other diseases.
Q: What should I wear to my appointment?
A: Wear loose fitting athletic clothing that does not restrict your movement. If being seen for a lower extremity (hip, knee, leg, ankle, foot) condition, then wear shorts. If being seen for a shoulder condition, wear a sleeveless tank top under your outerwear.
Q: What should I expect to do at my initial evaluation?
A: Please arrive ten to fifteen minutes prior to your appointment time to check-in and complete health screening paperwork. Once called back by the PT, anticipate thirty to forty-five minutes of therapy. During the examination, the PT will assess your range of motion, strength, and flexibility to develop a plan of care. Finally, the PT may perform a treatment and instruct you on specific exercises to perform at home.
Q: If I am an active duty service member, will my appointments be off post?
A: As long as the military treatment facility (MTF) has the access to get you in within the standard of care (28 days or less), your PT appointments will be on post.
Q: Why do I have to fill out paperwork every visit?
A: At the initial visit, there is more paperwork than at any other visit. You will not fill out any paperwork prior to treatment appointments. At each follow-up with your PT, you will fill out the same region-specific functional outcome measure form. These forms provide the PT with valuable information on your recovery. By filling the same functional outcome measure out at each follow-up, the PT can compare your scores over time. It is an objective way to measure change throughout the course of your care.
Q: Why can I not see the same physical therapy assistant (PTA) or technician every time?
A: In order to fulfil your PT’s plan of care the front desk staff will book your appointments, which can be several times a week for a month. The front desk staff will try to keep you with the same provider for as many appointments as possible. However, sometimes it does not work out. Sometimes that provider does not have availability when your appointment needs to be scheduled.
Q: Will physical therapy treatments be painful?
A: First, understand that PTs never intentionally hurt patients. However, sometimes there needs to be a temporary increase in pain to achieve the goals of improved motion, increased strength, and even pain relief.
Q: If I am going to have surgery anyway, why should I do PT beforehand?
A: If you increase your range of motion and strength prior to a surgery, then it can improve your post-operative outcomes.