Physical therapy is a key part of successful rehabilitation after a major surgery or injury, so it’s worth spending some time and energy making sure you’re getting the most out of your PT. That can include “shopping around” to find a physical therapist and/or practice that offers the right mix of patient care, physical therapy modalities, and support.
Although insurance can largely dictate who you get to work with (unless you decide to go private), you can still have a hand in your healing by engaging with your therapist, asking questions, and getting educated about your rehab process.
Insurance-Assigned or Private Provider?
One of the first things to consider is whether you want to move forward with the provider you get assigned to by your insurance company or if you would prefer to go through a private provider. While cost is of course an important factor, sometimes it’s possible to find a private provider that can offer you greater access (appointment availability) and still be covered by your insurance.
Another thing to note is that you don’t need a referral from a general practitioner for physical therapy; you can just call up a PT and ask if they take your insurance.
Why might you want to find a different provider than the one your insurance sends you to? Some practices that accept insurance can be very busy and difficult to schedule with quickly. That lack of appointment availability can be a dealbreaker if you’re in a lot of pain and eager to start your rehab program. Finding another provider that can get you in sooner can sometimes be worth the extra time finding a different option or the cost of going out of pocket.
Questions to Ask
When you’re getting started with a new physical therapist, you should feel empowered to ask questions that will help you be an informed participant in your care. Think of your physical therapist as a partner in your health rather than as a fitness instructor or taskmaster running you through arbitrary exercises. Here are some things you might ask about:
- What kind of modalities do you use?
- What will a typical appointment look like?
- How long is an appointment?
Understanding the modalities offered by a PT can be good for giving you an idea of what to expect in your appointments, and if you might want to seek out another option if there is a modality you’re particularly interested in. These are some examples of physical therapy modalities you might encounter:
- Manual therapy (massage)
- Prescriptive exercises
- Dry needling (similar to acupuncture)
- Electrical stimulation to inhibit and relax a muscle group
- Ultrasound for deep heat of a muscle group
If you begin working with a physical therapist or a practice and then decide it’s not working for you—perhaps the appointments are short and feel rushed, or you want to try a modality they don’t offer—you can feel free to find a different therapist. This is an example of when you might want to switch to a private provider that has less volume demands and is able to offer longer appointments or more hands-on therapeutic modalities.
No matter what you decide to do, at the end of the day, the most important thing is that you do something. While you certainly should feel empowered to go the extra mile to find a great fit, you definitely don’t want to get so lost in the weeds of finding the “right” therapist that you delay your healing.
What Happens After PT?
Insurance usually covers six weeks of physical therapy, but most folks will still have a ways to go and be dealing with post-surgical pain. It’s important to think ahead and speak to your therapist before your covered sessions end to plan how you will continue rehab, whether that means adding additional sessions outside of insurance, or developing an exercise plan you can follow on your own at home.
Keeping up with that post-PT plan can be challenging when you only have yourself and perhaps a printed handout to rely on. We created the Restart! Exercise app to help folks get and stay more active with accessible exercises they can do at home with no equipment. The in-app feedback allows you to indicate which exercises you can or can’t do so that you can have continually evolving workouts tailored to your abilities ready to go on your phone.
The Restart! app is live now in the Apple and Google Play app stores. Download it now to get your fitness journey started, no matter where you’re starting from:
