Physical Therapy is a type of treatment that helps improve mobility, relieve pain, restore physical function, and address disease or deformity in the body. The treatment often involves targeted movements that focus on areas of pain or dysfunction.

While physical therapy tends to be more focused on pain reduction and general function improvement, occupational therapy is focused on helping people regain specific skills and movement needed to do activities in their jobs or during daily living.

When you are injured at work, physical or occupational therapy may be used to help you recover from your accident and regain the skills you need to do your job. Your therapist can assess your workers’ compensation case to determine what types of therapy you need.

If you need physical therapy, you would seek the services of a physical therapist (sometimes referred to as a PT). For occupational therapy, you will likely see a therapist who specializes in occupational needs. These health professionals evaluate physical problems and injuries, then provide education and treatment programs to promote health and physical function. They also develop programs that include exercise and stretching to increase fitness and prevent future injury.

Physical therapy is used to treat a variety of diagnoses. While physical therapy is most commonly associated with either back pain or sports injuries, some lesser known treatable issues include headaches, vertigo and TMJD/lockjaw. Generally, if pain or dysfunction is caused by a physical problem in the bones, joints, muscles or ligaments, physical therapy can likely help alleviate symptoms.

Depending on the issue and treatment plan, some soreness or slight discomfort due to reactivating your muscles and joints may occur. Your therapist will monitor pain levels throughout your course of treatment to make sure you’re not overworking your body. It is important to communicate with your therapist and treatment team to help them adjust as needed to your body’s progress.

No, we recommend seeking treatment even while your pain is occurring. Scheduling a visit in the midst of pain will help your therapist better assess your issue and plan treatment accordingly. In fact, many studies show that being seen within two weeks of pain or injury onset have a 93% success rate compared to those who wait longer.

It depends. Some workout exercises may be fine while others may hinder your progress with physical therapy. Once assessed, your physical therapist can make recommendations on safe exercises to perform while you are undergoing treatment.

The answer to this will depend on your current insurance coverage. Generally, we accept most private and commercial insurances. However to give patients a better sense of what to expect, we can verify insurance benefits ahead, so you’ll know what your financial responsibility is before attending your first appointment.

This may vary depending on your coverage provider. To check your company’s coverage, you can speak with our Patient Services team to get an accurate estimate of what you may owe for your treatment plan.

We treat patients regardless of insurance coverage status. If you don’t currently have insurance, we can help you finance your treatment with a cash payment plan. For more information, please contact our office.

Generally, no doctors’ referrals are needed to receive treatment at our clinic. In Pennsylvania, you can be seen by a physical therapist for 30 days before a physician’s script is needed under the “Direct Access” laws in place. We get a head start by bringing your Primary Care Physician in from the first visit. If you end up needing more than 30 days for treatment, we’ll have their consent to move forward.

You have a choice in where you attend therapy. If you’d prefer to see us, tell your physician, so you can get an updated referral to our clinic.

At Elite Therapy Solutions, we strive to make your first visit enjoyable and stress-free. During your visit, your physical therapist will perform a comprehensive evaluation to determine your treatment needs. This may include the following: an assessment of posture, gait, range of motion, strength, soft tissue irregularities or changes, and joint mobility.

If you are here for your first visit and doing an initial evaluation, you can expect to be in our clinic for at least one hour. Once your treatment needs are established, your physical therapist will give you a time estimate for any additional sessions that are needed. Follow-up sessions can last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour.

We suggest wearing loose, comfortable clothing with sneakers for your visits. It may also be helpful to avoid wearing dangling jewelry or outfits that restrict your movement in any way.

The truth is, everyone responds differently to treatment. How often you will need to be seen and for how long will depend on your specific therapy treatments based on the initial evaluation done by your therapist. As you progress, they will be able to give you an estimate for your treatment duration.

Not necessarily, unless specified by your doctor. Your therapist can provide an evaluation without imaging from an MRI or X-ray. If they believe there is an underlying problem that needs further investigation, they can work with your doctor to discuss imaging needs.

Yes, all of our therapists stay in contact with each patient’s primary care physician. In fact, within 24 hours of your first visit, we will send your physician a copy of your initial evaluation and plan of care. You can also expect weekly, bi-weekly and/or monthly reports to be sent to your doctor to communicate progress and next steps needed.

Pain is unique to everyone. While physical therapy works to alleviate pain, we understand that it may temporarily increase your pain during treatment. With this in mind, taking pain medication before therapy can help make treatment more tolerable. However, please only take medications as prescribed and follow all directions as indicated.

Caretakers are more than welcome to attend your sessions with you. These include people such as designated family members, significant others or assisted living support personnel. However, we do ask that you refrain from bringing children to your personal appointments as this could pose safety issues for them or other patients. If you have a conflict that cannot be adjusted for, please contact our clinic so we can help make arrangements for you.