Question #1: How do I get started?
Answer: At Athletic Physical Therapy, we've made it very easy for you to get started. When
you click on Make an Appointment, you will receive a complete checklist of all you'll
need to get started right away. All of the contact information for both of our offices is
located here, making it easy for you to get in touch with us. Typically, we can see you
within 24 hours of your call, and that call is the first step in getting you back on the
road to recovery. back to top
Question #2: What should I expect on my first visit?
Answer: Upon arrival at our office, you will meet your personal licensed physical therapist and
certified aide, both of which you will work closely with throughout your entire recovery
process. You will be asked to fill out some basic paperwork (don't forget to bring in your
prescription for physical therapy and any written information -- operative reports,
X-ray and/or MRI results -- you have about your injury). The physical therapist will
then ask you a series of questions about your past and present medical conditions, before
performing a comprehensive evaluation of your muscles, joints, nerves, tendons, and
ligaments including range of motion, strength and functional testing. Based on your
physician's diagnosis, our prognosis, and your personal goals, an individual treatment plan
will be devised. You will receive treatment and home exercises on your first visit. Future
appointments will also be scheduled. back to top
Question #3: What types of treatments do you perform?
Answer: We perform various types of treatments, and will customize a program combining the
best treatments geared toward your particular injury. The types of treatments we do include
soft tissue massage, deep tissue massage, joint mobilization, electrical stimulation,
ultrasound, iontophoresis, phonophoresis, stretching, therapeutic exercises, and ice. The
treatment program will vary based on your injury, and will be performed in a private
treatment room as well as a gym setting using a variety of athletic and rehabilitation
equipment. back to top
Question #4: How often will I need to attend physical therapy?
Answer: Most patients are treated two to three times per week. The total duration of physical
therapy will depend on the severity of your injury. The more committed you are to your
recovery (meaning, you regularly attend your PT sessions), the more likely you are to
recover faster. We try to set up permanent appointment times for you to help make
scheduling consistent, and we offer early morning and evening appointments in order to
enable you to fit PT into your busy schedule. back to top
Question #5: How long will each appointment take?
Answer: Each visit is approximately one hour in duration. During each visit, you will spend a half
hour with your physical therapist receiving manual treatment (deep tissue massage, joint
mobilization, electric stimulation or other forms of specialized treatment for your injury), and
a half hour with the aide working on strengthening the injured area via specific exercises and
stretches. back to top
Question #6: Is there anything I can do at home to help speed the recovery process along?
Answer: Absolutely. We will customize a home treatment program—comprised of advice on how to
reduce your pain, exercises and stretches--for you so that you can continue your
rehabilitation process in between physical therapy sessions. It is essential that you follow the
instructions and perform the home exercises regularly to control your symptoms and speed
up recovery. back to top
Question #7: Do you know my doctor?
Answer: We are always in close communication with your doctor through frequent progress letters
and phone calls. We both share the same goal of helping you recover as quickly as possible,
thus, work as a team to make sure that this happens. back to top
Question #8: How much will each visit cost me?
Answer: Athletic Physical Therapy works with a personal
billing service, JJMB, designed to keep our services
affordable. Their purpose is to minimize your out-of-pocket expense
and ensure your health insurance covers as much of your physical
therapy treatments as possible. They take care of health insurance
verification and worker's compensation authorization at no additional
cost to the patient. Your out-of-pocket expense will vary depending
on your insurance policy. Prescribed physical therapy is typically
covered—at
least partially—by
most insurance companies. Depending on your insurance policy, you
may or may not have a co-payment for each visit. Most of our patients
have between a $0 -$15 co pay per office visit. back
to top
Question #9: What type of insurances do you accept?
Answer: We accept all Preferred Provider Organization
(PPO) insurances, Medicare, Blue Shield, Health Net and worker's compensation
insurance. We do not accept HMO insurance plans or liens. However, if you
have been injured in a motor vehicle accident and require physical therapy,
you may be eligible for coverage under your PPO or car insurance policy. Just
because we are not listed in your insurance company's provider book does not
mean we do not accept your insurance. Please call us to find out whether you
are eligible for coverage, and if so, what your co-payment and/or deductible
will be. JJMB (818)223-9985 will provide this information free of charge.
Simply call and ask about your insurance benefits. back to top
Question #10: What makes you different from all of the other physical therapists in Los Angeles?
Answer: There are a lot of reasons why you should choose Athletic Physical Therapy. For one,
the company founder, Stephen Clark, is one of the few Board Certified Physical Therapists in
the country. Clark is Board Certified as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, and has a Master's in
Health Science as well as an MBA and an undergraduate degree in physical therapy.
He has devoted his entire practice to caring for injured people, and speaks and works from
experience having had four knee surgeries of his own. Clark's philosophy is that "Every patient is
entitled to a 100% return to his or her preferred sport or exercise routine." To that end, Athletic
Physical Therapy employs only the best physical therapists and aides, and treats each and every patient on
an individual basis. Each patient gets personalized attention on every visit from a licensed
physical therapist, and all patients are educated fully about their injury and their
customized treatment program prior to starting it. Athletic Physical Therapy is also
affordable. Keeping costs low enables patients to focus on getting better, and alleviates
concerns about how much the injury is costing them. Simply put, Athletic Physical Therapy
is the partner you need to ensure a complete recovery. back to top
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