How to Choose the Right Physical Therapist: 8 Simple Tips

A Patient Working with a Professional Physical Therapist

How to Choose the Right Physical Therapist: 8 Simple Tips

Physical therapy can mean the difference between a long-term recovery that leads you back to your normal life and being stuck in perpetual treatments and pain.

 

It is an essential form of healthcare that many people require for various reasons ranging from the natural effects of age to recovery after life-threatening injuries.

 

However, not all physical therapists are the same, and with something so important, you want to make sure you get the right physical therapist for you.
Today, we’re going to give you 8 tips to help you find the right physical therapist.

 

1: Make Sure They’re in Your Area

 

You can find the best physical therapist in the world, and it won’t mean much if you live halfway across the country. You’ll go to physical therapy regularly for an extended period, and your chosen specialist needs to be within a reasonable distance.

 

Try to keep your search for potential options within an hour’s drive. If you’re going to be going multiple times per week, you might even want to tighten your search to make sure you can reliably go to your appointments.

 

2: Get a Referral

 

One of the easiest ways to find a good physical therapist is to simply ask your doctor for a referral. In many situations, you won’t even have to ask. The doctor will realize how badly you need therapy, and they’ll tell you exactly where to go.
Choosing the Right Physical Therapist by Asking for Referral
If you trust your doctor and their decision-making skills, trusting their choice of physical therapist is a good idea.

 

Of course, not every physical therapy patient has a situation that makes their doctor concerned. If that sounds like you, asking who they’d recommend or simply continuing to look around is a great idea.

 

3: Check Your Insurance Policy

 

Just like any healthcare service, you’re likely going to want insurance to cover as much of it as possible. It’s unfortunate, but you should always check any potential physical therapists to see if they accept your insurance.

 

You don’t want to set up an appointment, go to it, and then get hit with a big bill you can’t afford.

 

Of course, this is only an issue if you plan to have insurance pay for the service. If this is an elective care situation, or you are comfortable paying for the service yourself, you don’t have to worry about your insurance plan. It is still a good idea to check, though.

 

You don’t want to waste money if you can get most of the service paid for.

 

4: Look for an Available Service

 

This one might sound obvious, but you need to make sure the physical therapist you’re about to contact is even available. It might be a bit disheartening to call and be told they can’t get you in for several months due to their schedule. That happens, though.

 

If you find an amazing therapist and they tell you it will be a couple of weeks, you might want to wait for a short time to get that superior service you’re looking for.

 

However, if you reach out, and you’re told that you need to wait for months, you need to find somebody else. If you’re going to be going through long-term therapy sessions, you can always switch if you want. Unfortunately, your healing can’t wait too long for an opening.

 

5: Make Sure You Get Along

 

A lot of patients don’t think about this unless something goes wrong, but your physical therapist is going to be a very intimate part of your life. Even with the simplest treatments, you’re in a vulnerable position. You’re not at your best, and you might be a little embarrassed when you can’t do something you know you can do easily any other time.

 

You want to make sure you get along with the therapist you hire.
Getting Along Well with the Right Physical Therapist
Now, you might not be able to speak to them directly before you have an appointment but look at their staff. See how their staff treat you. If they’re people you’re compatible with, then the therapist probably is, too.

 

On the other hand, if you can’t even stand calling a company, you should probably pick a different office.

 

6: Experience Counts

 

The therapy you’re receiving is meant to be life-changing. You don’t want to mess it up or work with someone who simply doesn’t have the experience to guarantee results.

 

As such, you should check your therapist’s experience. Most physical therapy offices will proudly boast that they have years of service in the community. So, you shouldn’t have a problem figuring this out. If you can’t find that info, a simple Google search will reveal it right away.

 

Just make sure you’re with someone who has experience helping people like you and can likely help you recover optimally.

 

7: Do They Offer the Services You Need

 

Physical therapy is a very broad term. There are therapists focused on a variety of different situations. Some only help people recover from injuries, some only help people with natural challenges regain their mobility, and some are there exclusively for athletes. Others do a bit of everything.

 

Before you commit to a physical therapist, you need to make sure that they cater to people with the issue you’re dealing with. Someone who is suffering from muscle degeneration after a serious hospital stay and nerve damage from an accident probably won’t benefit from the treatments offered by someone who solely helps athletes recover from sprained ankles and torn tendons.

 

8: Success Rate and Patient Approval

 

You don’t want to take too long to recover. Every day you wait is a day you go without experiencing life to the fullest.

 

So, you want to make sure you’re going to get results.

 

Look at the reviews for a physical therapy office and make sure other patients are happy with the treatment they received.

 

Expert Manual Therapy is Here for You

 

We hope these tips on choosing the right physical therapist help you make a confident and informed decision. Finding the right professional can make a significant difference in your recovery and overall well-being.

 

Whether you’re struggling with an injury or trying to combat a loss of mobility from age, we can help.

 

We offer a wide variety of therapy services for clients from all walks of life. If you need physical therapy in Austin, call Expert Manual Therapy today.

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