Choosing the right physical therapist is just as important as finding the right doctor or dentist. If physical therapy interventions are applied correctly it can literally change the quality of your life so it is important you find a therapist that is skilled and compentent in treating your condition. The following information will give you a better idea how to make the best choice.

1.  Always take advantage of a free consultation. It will allow you to take a look at the facility and equipment; and meet the therapists and staff members. Every facility is different so it is important that you feel welcomed and comfortable with the environment.

2. It is even more important that you feel confident in your therapists’ clinical compentency and treatment approach. A free consultation will give you the opportunity to ask questions about the therapists’ education, clinical experience, continuing education, and treatment philosophy.

3. Even if you have “tried physical therapy” somewhere else, a free consultation will allow you to get a second opinion.  Treatments should be ”evidence based” techniques that have been proven to be effective. The reason  why “physical therapy” may not have worked for you in the past may be due to a couple reasons:

a. Your treatment was not appropriate to your specific tissue injury. Massage, hot packs and electrical stimulation may feel good but there is little evidence showing it helps tissue regeneration and recovery.

b. The treatment was not effective due to the therapists’ inexperience or skill level. There are many techniques and methods, some more effective than others, however how a therapist integrates them into your treatment takes experience and skill.

c. Unrealistic expectations will also effect how you respond to physical therapy interventions. Even if the treatment is correct, your tissue requires time to heal and may often take several weeks or months depending on your condition.  Tissue healing does not happen overnight.

d. Lastly, not every condition responds to physical therapy.  There are several conditions that require medical or surgical intervention in order for recovery to take place.  There may also be pre-existing medical problems that complicate your tissues’ ability to recover.

What is important therefore is whether or not the treatment is “tissue specific”.  In other words, every tissue in the body has specific needs and cannot all be treated the same way. For example, cartilage responds differently than a tendon or ligament. In addition, a lumbar disc problem cannot be treated the same way you treat a muscle strain. Each tissue has specific needs for healing and therefore requires specific techniques. A clinically competent therapist will be able to identify which tissue is in lesion and implement the correct treatment.

4. A free consultation will also be useful in obtaining financial information. Every clinic has different billing arrangements. Some take certain types of insurance plans or offer cash rates. Some clinics have “in house” billing and some “outsource” their billing. “In-house”billing often provides better customer satisfaction and flexible payment plans to help you stay within bugdet.  

5. Finally, a free consultation should give you useful information for your own research. There is an overwhelming amount of information available.  A competent therapist will be able to provide you with quality resources to help you become a well informed patient. The more knowlege you have, the better decisions you will make especially when it comes to your health.

The websites for the associations below are very useful as they have treatment ideas and general information available for downloading.

Speed up recovery from muscle skeletal pain and dysfunction www.tissuerecovery.com

The Ola Grimsby Institute www.olagrimsby.com

American Physical Therapy Association www.apta.org

American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Therapists www.aaompt.org

American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons www.aaos.org

American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine www.aapsm.org

North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy www.naiomt.com