If Suffering from Back Pain, See a Physical Therapist First – Get Started Without a Doctor’s Prescription

March 26 19:57 2020

In 2016, the Center for Disease control reported that about 20.4% of adults in the United States suffer from chronic pain, with eight percent living with high-impact chronic pain. Acute pain can become chronic, and recurring pain can persist and worsen, affecting other parts of the body if not treated effectively, and with long-term relief as a primary goal.  

Painkillers, injections, minimally to moderately invasive procedures, and surgery can often be prevented by getting to a physical therapist first. Physical therapy is often the safer, more effective choice for treating pain, and delivers sustainable relief with the highest rate of success.  

“Physical therapy treats the root causes of the pain experienced and focuses on sustainable relief,” says physical therapist Laura Hunter, clinical rehab director of Weston, Florida’s Quality Rehab Care. “At QRC patients receive individualized care tailored to their intake evaluation, medical history, and recovery goals.”

Going straight to a physical therapist for assessment and treatment prevents a condition from worsening and/or spreading pain to other parts of the body.  Decreased range of motion/mobility of one body part may also affect other parts of the body if not treated early. Unfortunately, the average wait time to see a physical therapist for patients who jump through insurance procedure hoops to get a doctor’s prescription for physical therapy is 24 days. Obtaining a prescription requires seeing a primary care physician who may give you a referral to an orthopedic specialist who may write you a prescription for physical therapy.  That’s a lot of time, effort, and co-pays, and further deficits can occur in that time when living with an injury. These compounded deficits due to injury may be more invasive, time-consuming, and costly to fix.

Twenty-eight states have direct access laws by which patients can seek physical therapy directly without a doctor’s prescription.  Florida is one such state.  Patients in Florida can go directly to physical therapists; however, this direct access does not allow physical therapists to implement treatment plans in acute care settings. The condition must be within the physical therapist’s scope of practice. If it is not, the physical therapist can consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner or refer the patient, and if the care plan exceeds 30 days, a practitioner of record must review and sign off on the plan.

Many of Laura Hunter’s patients at Quality Rehab Care utilize Florida’s direct access laws to access her services for injury recovery, post-op recovery, acute pain, chronic conditions, joint issues, and more. Mrs. Hunter is a Board Certified and Licensed Physical Therapist with over 25 years of combined experience in acute and long-term physical therapy, in homecare, rehabilitation center, and hospital settings, locally and internationally.  

At the local hospital in Weston it takes 2-3 weeks to get an appointment to see at Physical therapist. We make it a point to get a new patient in the same week as their request for service. Our therapist can help patients prevent and/or delay surgeries.  We can reduce the insurance cost by reducing/eliminating the use of narcotics.  Educating our patients in the correct body mechanics we also help to prevent further injuries. 

“This rehab facility is excellent,” reported Quality Rehab Care patient and Yelp reviewer Kay B. “The genuine interest and care is awesome.  Laura is amazing and explains everything in detail. I had issues with my shoulder where my movement was very limited due to the pain.  I had dealt with this issue for quite some time.  After pursuing rehab with Laura, it was only a matter of weeks before I was back to normal. I honestly thought I would never go back to normal.  Laura and her team made this a possibility for me.”

“I am back for a third time,” says Quality Rehab Care patient and Yelp reviewer Meryl J. “This time, I have lower back pain. Pain stinks, but Laura and her staff are amazing. They are educated, kind, listen and really help make the pain go away!  You have to do your part and keep up the exercises at home, but when you are in the office, she really makes sure you know what to do.  Every single person who works here is amazing. You enter her office a patient but leave a friend. I know many others who feel the same way.”

Yelp reviewer and Quality Rehab Care patient Maria O. agrees that it is the, “Best place to get better from any injury or surgery rehab, Laura is a caring, intelligent, and lovely therapist. Her staff is helpful and nice.”

Don’t live with acute or chronic pain or put your treatment on hold to jump through administrative hoops. Call Laura at 954-389-9905 or email [email protected] to get started, and visit https://qualityrehabcare.com/ to learn more.

Media Contact
Company Name: Quality Rehab Care
Contact Person: Kevin Hunter
Email: Send Email
Phone: 954-389-9905
Address:2751 Executive Park Drive, Suite#103,Weston Medical and Professional Campus
City: Weston
State: FL 33331
Country: United States
Website: http://www.qualityrehabcare.com/

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