Get the Proper Care You Deserve ASAP

I cannot relate the number of times I’ve had patients in pain come to me after weeks had gone by where they had to obtain a doctor’s appointment, have various diagnostic studies performed, perhaps even referred for an orthopedic consult, only to eventually make their way into my office. Then, we are able to eliminate their pain within 1 to 3 visits.
In most states, including NJ, people with pain can see a physical therapist without a prescription, however, most insurance policies require a Medical Doctor’s prescription in order to reimburse for physical therapy services.
The prescription often reads ‘Lumbar strain/sprain’, “Low back pain” or “Sciatica.” These prescriptions, as even admitted by medical doctors, are very general and vague, but they are written to comply with insurance company policies so the physical therapist provider can be paid for services rendered. Most medical doctors respect the education physical therapists undertake and welcome insurance policy changes which would allow physical therapists to see patients directly so that they can attend to treating conditions which they alone can treat.
If you injured yourself through some form of trauma (motor vehicle accident, a fall, impact of some kind) and/or you have severe osteoporosis; if you are experiencing extreme lethargy, sudden weight loss, than imaging might then be indicated as a first approach. However, often people aren’t aware that doctors of physical therapy are educated to determine the appropriateness, or lack thereof, of providing an imaging study and/or when people need to be referred to their medical doctor.
Most neck/back pain does not require diagnostic imaging. Findings of MRI, CT scans and X-rays are often not correlative with one’s symptom presentation. I have seen numerous people with back/neck pain who have had diagnostic studies revealing all sorts of bony and/or discal changes, yet these individuals have never had back and/or neck pain. Diagnostic findings are often not correlative to one’s pain presentation, although there are certain times when they may be.
If a study, such as an MRI, shows a disc bulge, for example, than the image has to match the symptom presentation to provide some potential correlative evidence that the observed entity is the source of the pain. Even if such a correlation can be made, the image does not change the treatment that your doctor of physical therapy provides.
In other words, the first and best approach would be for a neck and/or back pain sufferer to see their physical therapist as soon as possible. Should the physical therapist find that your pain/condition is not amenable to physical therapy and it is not a treatable condition, he/she can then refer you for consultation with your medical doctor who might then have a reason to acquire a diagnostic study or refer you for consultation with a pain management specialist and/or with an orthopedic surgeon.
On my web site, www.CapeMayPhysicalTherapy.com, I provide many Testimonials and Videos of patients treating in my facility. You will notice a young man, Jason Carl, who came into my office with a very painful acutely ‘shifted posture.’ He was trying to go through the route required by his insurance company, but because of the severity of his pain he came in and said, “I’ll pay out of my pocket, I’ve got to do something about this.”
Fortunately he came in when he did, as someone with the type ‘shift’ he had could ‘blow out’ his back (disc) very easily. Very few medical/healthcare providers even know how to treat such a presentation. Within 3 sessions the ‘shift’ was gone and he was pain-free. In all likelihood, had he waited, he would have ended up a surgical candidate.
At Professional Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation (aka Pro PT & Rehab Physical Therapy), we use a combination of therapeutic exercise, neuromuscular reeducation, manual and self-applied therapies, spinal decompression and we are the first ones to use the ATM2 (Active Therapeutic Movements) device in the region.
Overall, patients who treat at Professional Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation, had and have amazing success with our treatments and there are many testimonials to that fact which can be viewed on the Testimonials Page of our web site. Physical therapy is a great way to distinguish those who are amenable to rehabilitative care from those who are not and who should then be referred to their medical doctor for further consultation (e.g., diagnostic studies, pain management, orthopedic surgical consult).
Professional Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation, PC is located at 650 Townbank Road; STE 203; N. Cape May, NJ – 2nd Floor above the offices of Cape Regional Medical Associates – 609 884-9800. See Physician & Patient Testimonials @ www.CapeMayPhysicalTherapy.com.
By Dr. Mitchell Hackerman, PT, DPT, Cert.MDT, CMT, NMT, CFT