FAQS

In physical therapy, the goals should be to resolve your problem, not just temporarily relieve it. Although medication and other forms of treatment can be helpful in relieving symptoms, physical therapy produces a long term result. The physician may opt to utilize medication in conjunction with physical therapy depending on your diagnosis. Additionally, physical therapy treatments unlike some other forms of treatment are not designed to be a maintenance program. We provide home exercise programs and self-care treatment techniques in order to extend an appropriate continuum of care when your physical therapy has been terminated.

Oftentimes, your physician will give you a recommendation or a listing of physical therapists in your area. Sometimes your insurance company will guide you with regard to who is "in network" for your insurance plan. Ultimately, however, the decision as to where you receive your care is up to you. If you have a specific request, you need to let your physician or insurance company know. If we are not in network for your insurance company we will treat you the same as if we were. We work with all insurances.

Absolutely! If you have a problem that you think can be helped with physical therapy, feel free to give us a call. After discussing with you the specific problem you present with, we can give you a better idea if it is something that is treatable with physical therapy. You can also give your doctor a call. If he is not sure, he is welcome to contact us as well. In today's healthcare, if you feel physical therapy can be helpful to you, you will need to stress your feelings to the doctor you are seeing. (See Injury Assessment under Services section)

No! The state of New Jersey has become a direct access state for Physical Therapy.

"What does this mean?" Anyone, no matter age or gender, can be treated legally by Physical Therapist for a movement dysfunction. Please note each insurance company and or government policies and procedures may not pay for services, however this does not mean one cannot see a Physical Therapist for consultation and or treatment.

After 30 days of skilled Physical Therapy, it is the law for a Therapist to stop care and either discharge the patient and or refer out to an appropriate medical personnel for examination.

If your physician gives you a referral to physical therapy, simply call our business office at (201) 845-8002 and they'll assist you with the pertinent information in order to schedule your first appointment. Our office staff will get all the necessary information from you and assist you with an appointment.

Because of today's health care and the wide variety plans available, although most insurance companies do cover physical therapy, what they cover specifically varies greatly. Please review our billing and insurance participation section on this web site and if you have additional questions regarding your specific insurance give us a call.

This depends on several questions that need to be answered prior to answering this question.

Did you have surgery?

It depends on what the Doctor’s protocol is, however often the doctor is focusing on the surgery and its outcome. We encourage you to be pro-active and inquire about Physical therapy, which will expedite the healing process for the most optimum outcomes, which is to return to work, sport, and everyday life activities.

Are you going to have surgery?

If so unless Physical Therapy is contraindicated, We encourage Physical Therapy prior to surgery this is called pre- habilitation.

Do you have loss of function, pain or wellness concerns?

If any of these are yes then you can immediately start and or contact a physical therapist, for these are the only three reasons why one should see a Physical Therapist.

If you have increased symptoms please call your physical therapist. When you call the office, please be sure you explain to the office staff that you are having an increase in symptoms. The office staff will pull your chart and contact your therapist or a covering physical therapist. They will be able to review the information and will give you a call back that same day. After we discuss the case with you, we will be able to give you guidelines as to what would be appropriate to reduce your symptoms, whether you need to come in our office, or if you should contact or follow- up with your physician. It is best to call us prior to calling your physician as if a change in symptoms has occurred, it is important that we fax the physician a report so that he can be up to date on your care when you see him for a follow- up visit.

The treatment you receive in physical therapy will depend upon what the physical therapist finds in the evaluation. Our treatment programs are movement oriented with an emphasis on active patient participation. We emphasize mobilization, self-treatment, and therapeutic exercise to pinpoint the affected structure and resolve the problem. We do not stress "feel good" modalities, such as massage, ultrasound, heat, electrical stimulation, etc., which do little to address the underlying pathology and can cause patient dependence. We do, however, utilize modalities as needed, to assist us with anti-inflammatory effects, pain etc.

Treatment time will vary according to what the physical therapist finds in the evaluation. Whatever is found to be appropriate during the evaluation will become part of the patient's program and the program will be updated as appropriate as the patient improves. In general, physical therapy treatments last anywhere 1/2 hour to 1 hour with somewhat longer time being necessary for this first visit because of the evaluation.

Because your physical therapist will perform a meticulous evaluation, quantifying and qualifying all the deficits and problems you are presenting with, re-evaluation, and re-measurement to determine progress are possible. You will be re-evaluated on a periodic basis the frequency of which will depend upon your diagnosis as well as the severity of the problem. In general, patients are re-evaluated anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks. Additionally, the therapist always needs to be aware of follow-up visits with your physician as a re-evaluation will be performed so that the physician can be updated at that time.

The physical therapist will communicate with you physician most commonly by written report. The physical therapist will send a complete written report outlining the findings of their initial evaluation as well as their assessment of the problem and an outline of the general treatment and frequency with which they intend to see you. The physical therapist will continue to update your physician with written reports each time you are re-evaluated and most specifically prior to your return to the physician. This is why it is so important that you let your therapist know if you have an appointment with your physician. Additionally, the therapist will, as they feel appropriate, contact the physician by phone if they have a specific concern or question. At the end of your treatment the physical therapist will send a follow- up report to your physician with final information as to your status at the time of discharge from physical therapy.

Our goal at this physical therapy facility is to resolve your problem completely so that you don't require continual follow-up or maintenance care. There are some patients who do require follow-up care or re-assessment on a periodic basis but that will be discussed with you once you are in physical therapy or at discharge. This is generally not the case.

If you have a recurrent problem after your discharge from physical therapy, your return to physical therapy will depend on a number of factors. It would depend if it was a re-injury of the same specific problem, how long it has been since you were last in physical therapy, how long it's been since you saw the physician, and many other factors. In general, if you are discharged from physical therapy and feel the need to return, you should contact the physical therapist who treated you. They will review your chart and call back to discuss with you what should be done, depending on the problem you are having.

It is a professional medical career that has been formally around since 1920. The career has progressively changed from a certificate position to an autonomously practicing doctor with no prescription/referral needed. The doctoring Physical Therapist has a broad scope of education from the basic anatomy and physiology to the dissection of cadaver. The profession has made a grand scale para dyne shift that entails research out - come base application. Physical Therapy is a profession that takes care of the life span of all humanity in treatment, prevention of injury, fitness and wellness. We have come a long way and much more to come.

The profession has changed since its birth in 1921 headed by Mary McMillan. Physical Therapist traditionally worked in a hospital setting migrating into independent proprietors. The entire education requirements has gone from an awarded certificate to obtaining a Bachelor’s degree which both no longer exist, to the Master prepared Physical Therapist which is becoming obsolete to the present Doctoring Physical Therapist. The American Physical Therapy Association vision is for all Physical Therapist to become a doctor in the field by year of 2020.

The difference is obviously education, but more than credits it is the "new" role the Doctor of Physical Therapy has among the communities we serve. Whether it is a dependent patient on a feeding tube to the multi- million dollar contract professional Athlete, we look beyond the pathology at hand. Our new responsibilities are of a primary care giver, not needing a prescription to exam, diagnose and treat any movement dysfunction one may have. Among the people we serve, we are more proactive in injury and disease prevention while promoting optimum health, fitness and wellness.

We as doctors listen to… the needs of the patient having the patient - center.

We as doctors explore… for the problems that cause the impairments, functional limitations and disabilities.

We also explore…for resolutions and recognize and guide when it is out of our scope of practice.

We as doctors discover… movement dysfunction problems and potential ones. We also at times discover when we have to refer to another medical person who is more qualified and resourceful.

We as doctors execute…a healing and or preventive pathway that is research based with optimum outcomes for the patients who entrust in a healing ways and the communities who are open minded to listen to our preventive ways for injury and disease prevention through wellness and fitness and good health practice.