FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Physical therapy is a branch of healthcare that deals with correcting any issues with functional mobility. It is a non-invasive treatment approach that helps patients progress, maintain, and restore their optimal physical function and body movement. Physical therapy can help patients relieve pain, recover from an injury or post-surgical condition, live with a chronic condition, and prevent future damage or injury. Patients – whatever stage of life they’re at – can benefit from this treatment.

The American Physical Therapy Association has laid out professional guidelines and standards to follow in the field. Practicing physical therapists are highly educated individuals who completed a four to six-year college program training in medical and biological sciences. They amass – and continue to obtain – extensive knowledge about the body and its movements. They are also required to secure a national licensure examination and continue abiding by state licensing requirements. Aside from hospitals, physical therapists can practice in many different settings, such as sports facilities, fitness centers, outpatient clinics, schools, hospices, workplaces, and private homes.

Physical therapists can skillfully evaluate a specific condition involving your movements and provide treatments, exercises, and manual techniques to help restore your prior level of function or improve it. Their methods are part of a patient’s overall treatment plan. Generally, the consultation starts with a thorough assessment of the patient’s condition; this includes a physical examination and obtaining a complete medical history. Based on this information, a treatment plan will be structured.

Thus, it’s essential to get a comprehensive patient assessment first and foremost. During the treatment, the therapist closely monitors the patient’s progress and apply manual techniques if necessary. The primary goal of physical therapy is to improve the quality of life of the patient by helping them restore functional mobility and live life to their maximum potential.

Depending on the specific condition of a patient, physical therapy from a licensed professional can help with mobility and movement, pain management (with reduced or no need for pain medication), recovery from injury, recovery from stroke, management of age-related health issues, sports injuries, and more. In many cases, physical therapy is required for a core group of patients. These individuals are usually professional and collegiate athletes, highly athletic people, children with development, injury-related, mobility, or pediatric issues, older individuals who experience increased muscle atrophy, patients with chronic conditions (cancer, diabetes, lung disease, etc.), patients with vertigo, who have had a stroke, or those who deciding to get surgery.

Physical therapy is a trusted alternative treatment option. This approach takes into account the specific condition of a patient in order to determine the best treatment plan to treat their issues. In addition to manual techniques, physical therapists advise and educate patients on how to better take care of themselves so they can do exercises on their own that will help their mobility. From athletes to people suffering from a chronic health issue, there's a physical therapy technique suited for people from all walks of life.

Because of their lifestyle and profession, athletes and highly athletic individuals experience many types of constant physical pain, discomfort, stress, and trauma. Additionally, since they are used to strenuous activities, they tend to ignore the severity of their pain. For this very reason, the discipline of sports physical therapy has been introduced. It paved the way for the injury prevention and rehabilitation of athletes or athletic individuals. Sports physical therapists help patients return to their maximum levels of function and sport-specific fitness. They utilize sports physical therapy skills to correctly assess the condition of the patient, determine the cause of the issue, treat it, and prevent further damage. Sports therapists also train athletes to meet the physical demands of their specific sport so they can succeed in it safely and efficiently.

Our clinic has the necessary cutting-edge sports therapy equipment along with experienced physical therapy and rehabilitation team to help patients ñ whether they need to recover from a sports-related injury or need to enhance their speed, agility, balance, or overall performance.

Physical therapists are experts in movement and function. Therefore, our expertise is not limited to treating injured or ill people. A large part of any physical therapistís program is directed at preventing injury, loss of movement, or even surgery. Physical therapists can also work to improve the design of the workplace and reduce the risk of workers overusing certain muscles or developing lower back pain. We also provide services to all levels of athletes. These services include screening for potential problems to instituting preventive exercise programs.

At Precision Sports Physical Therapy, while we use all the foundation of physical therapy techniques, we also utilize therapeutic exercise and functional (strength and conditioning) training. In addition to "hands-on" care, our physical therapists also educate our patients to take care of themselves by safely and efficiently performing certain exercises on their own. Depending on a patient's needs, a physical therapist may also "mobilize" a joint and mobilizing a joint means performing certain types of movements at the end of your range of motion. A therapist may also perform deep tissue mobilizations to a muscle to promote proper movement and function.

Physical therapy is a fantastic choice for any orthopedic conditions, both acute and chronic in nature. Injuries can range from immediate (acute ñ ankle sprains, shoulder dislocation, broken bones, etc.) to overuse injuries of the shoulder and the lower back (chronic shoulder impingement, rotator cuff tears, tendonitis, etc.)

Physical therapy techniques that are rendered in an efficient matter can relieve and improve many conditions that people suffer from. At our clinic, our job is to ensure that functional mobility is possible for everyone. Therefore, we work to find any issue that limits or alters this capability ñ before it can worsen or cause further impairments. Our physical therapists acquired skills, knowledge, and most importantly, experience with orthopedic conditions, allow us to give the highest level of care to all our patients.

Typically, physical therapy is covered by health insurance providers, especially in situations when it's medically necessary. Please call our office to get the most accurate information depending on your specific situation.

While this may seem like a simple question, there is no straightforward answer. One patient may only need five days to get back to walking normally after a knee replacement surgery. Another patient may need more than that. One patient may only need one session; another may require months of rehabilitation. The diagnosis, severity of the issue, and medical history play essential roles in the timeline. Additionally, we all have different healing rate, pain sensitivity, and motivation; and they are significant in knowing how many physical therapy sessions each patient needs.

How long physical therapy will depend on the specific nature of the condition and injury and the patient's commitment to maximizing the therapy results and how fast he or she progresses. However, the more serious the condition or injury is, the longer the rehabilitation period may take. At our clinic, we always inspire hope and motivation and in our patients. As long as they are driven to maximize the impact of the treatment, we can help lessen the rehabilitation period as well. Moreover, the first step we take towards establishing the recovery period is a comprehensive diagnosis of the patient's injury. We also advise our patients to set different goals during the rehabilitation period rather than a completion date. We help our patients stay on track and achieve these goals in order to create a nurturing, supportive, and rewarding environment.

Typically, injuries that needed surgical involvement prior to physical therapy will require a more extended recovery schedule related to it than injuries that didn't need surgery.

Experience greatly matters when treating complex injuries ñ particularly sports and athletics-related symptoms that do not fit the "typical patient" criteria. Exercise progression, manual techniques, and careful observation of functional movements are vital when treating an athlete or any individual who requires greater demand on their body (whether it's for work or fitness requirements). Far too many times, athletes are not treated properly. Inexperienced sports physical therapists often overlook that demand that is placed on patients' bodies prior to discharge. This can lead to re-injury or diminished athletic or physical competence as athletes return to their sport. This also applies to individuals seeking higher levels of function with exercise demand, return to recreational competition or training for an individual goal or race.

True to our name, our clinic ensures precise and accurate assessment and evaluation for all our patients an athlete or not. We then deploy APTA-approved techniques to help our patients recover from their injuries and reach their maximum potential.

A functional capacity evaluation is a medically ordered assessment for an injured employee with a worker's compensation claim. This order may also be implemented within state guidelines to establish safe working conditions. Precision Sports Physical Therapy has licensed and experienced therapists under our FCE program who follow the criteria and protocols of the state. The components of our FCE vary depending on the reasoning for the evaluation. However, it will typically consist of a thorough interview with the patient and medical records retrieval, skeletal and muscular screening, pain monitoring, and functional and mobility testing. We will then supply a report with our professional determinations.

For more information about our FCE program, please contact our office.

The duration of our session will depend on the treatment plan we've tailored for each patient. Typically, sessions last from 30 minutes to a full hour, several times a week. The length of each session will also be dictated by the progress the patient makes. The more progress made, the shorter the length of each session is, but of course, we always look at the overall condition of the patient. Additionally, we advise patients to wear comfortable and loose fitting clothes so they can move freely; this also lets us perform a thorough examination before, during, and after each session. 

Our physical therapy programs are tailored uniquely for the individual patient. This lets us meet the specific requirements and goals of the patient. In some cases, injuries don't follow a particular "path." Some also don't respond well to a particular type of therapy. Therefore, it's essential to use a combination of experience, post-professional advancements in knowledge, and up-to-date research ñ which are therapists possess ñ to formulate the most appropriate and advantageous approach for the patient. 

Yes, in most cases. It is the right of the patient if he/she wants to attend an individual physical therapy clinic. Precision Sports Physical Therapy is in network with numerous insurance plans. Our front office staff is available to assist you with any questions you may have.

In most cases, health insurance will cover all or a portion of the treatment costs. There may be out-of-pocket expenses (such as co-payments or deductibles) that the patient may be required to pay. The patient's insurance provider will determine these. If needed, there are payment plan options, as well as out-of-pocket payments (self-pay for individuals with no insurance coverage) that we are open to discussing with you. 

We are available to discuss payment options with our patients to suit their situation. For any questions you may have, please feel free to call our clinic. 

Yes. Physical therapy in its essence is a medical profession that specializes in functional mobility, improving strength and stability, and decreasing pain with exercise and athletic demand. Physical therapists are mobility and movement experts. Thus, their expertise is not limited to treating people suffering from injury or health condition. A larger part of physical therapy is focused on preventing injury and determining the cause of pain and loss of movement. Whether the patient ñ athlete or not ñ is suffering from an injury during an exercise or sport, or if there has been long-standing pain with a particular activity, physical therapy is an excellent option to improve the deficit and restore pain-free activity or athletic participation.

Most states do not legally require patients to see their physicians before seeing a physical therapist. However, in Texas, a referral from a physician is still needed at the time of this writing. Ask your doctor if physical therapy can be a helpful option for you. 

Yes. When the definite cause is positively identified, we can resolve it effectively with a proper treatment plan. This will allow the patient to return to lifting weights, exercising, or competing in sporting events without pain or any limitation. 

At Precision Sports Physical Therapy, increased emphasis is placed on athletic excellence and functional mobility. Our therapists are held to a very high standard, with requirements to develop post-graduate credentials and skills (Fellowship training, orthopedic clinical specialist, sports, clinic specialist, etc.) Aside from always providing exemplary patient engagement and care, our team of expert therapists is also expected to continually obtain greater experience with new research-based progressions and treatment options for athletic and orthopedic conditions.