What to Expect From Your First Visit with a Physical Therapist
What is the role of a physical therapist?
Physical therapy is centered around evaluating and recording your progress in healing injuries. Your BC + PT physical therapist is there to help guide you through exercises for you to do both in your appointments and at home, as well as apply other techniques that you can find only at your appointments, such as heat or ice therapy, ultrasound, e-stim, or even mechanical traction.
Before Your First Appointment
Physical therapy in New York State requires all patients to have a prescription to receive treatment. After you have received a script from your primary care provider or medical specialist, you can then schedule your first appointment with us! The physical therapists at BC + PT can treat both No Fault and Workers Comp injuries, as well as accept most insurances.
Medical History / Exam
Now that you have your script and scheduled your first appointment, it’s time to get ready! To start off every first appointment, you and your doctor will privately discuss your medical history and your symptoms. The physical therapist will ask how your injury affects you and any lifestyle habits due to your pain or injury.
The BC + PT website offers our new patient form that you can download ahead of time as well! We strive to make sure that our patients feel as comfortable as possible, and for some that means completing your paperwork at home rather than in the office.
After you have discussed your medical history and what brought you into meeting your amazing physical therapist, they will move on to the physical exam. During the physical exam, testing muscle strength, range of motion, or checking reflexes are some examples of what to expect.
Physical Therapy Treatment
The treatment your physical therapist will use depends on what type of problem you are having. They will utilize methods such as mechanical traction, ultrasound, e-stim, or even myofascial technique. Physical therapy is a process, and the doctor will set you up on a treatment plan with regular reevaluations to check on your progress. There isn’t a set time frame as to how frequently you will need to see your physical therapist. However, following the treatment plan designed for you, as well as being honest with them on how you are feeling, is the best way to make sure that you are on track to accomplish your goals with physical therapy.
