Can Anyone Start Physical Therapy?

Physical therapy (PT) is a great treatment to address aches and pains of varying kinds. It can be utilized for general discomfort or pain associated with surgery. PT is designed to help reduce pain and improve range of motion, strength, and overall function. Whether it’s your knee that has been hurting for decades or your back you tweaked shoveling snow, often, physical therapy can help. Let’s look at injuries physical therapy can treat and who exactly should start physical therapy.

Head/Neck

• Stiff neck
• Muscle strain
• Neck soreness
• Cervical radiculopathy
• Osteoarthritis
• Cervical fusion

Shoulder

• Rotator cuff tendinopathy
• Rotator cuff repair
• Labrum repair
• Shoulder replacement
• AC joint sprain
• Rotator cuff strain
• Biceps tendonitis
• Osteoarthritis

Elbow

• Golfer’s elbow
• Tennis elbow
• Osteoarthritis
• Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction

Wrist/Hand

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Carpal tunnel surgery
• Wrist sprain
• Osteoarthritis

Lower Back

• Low back pain
• Low back stiffness
• Lumbar radiculopathy
• Osteoarthritis
• Lumbar fusion

Hip

• Bursitis
• Impingement
• Osteoarthritis
• Labrum repair
• Hip replacement

Knee

• Ligament sprain
• Muscle strain
• Quadriceps/patellar tendinopathy
• Ligament reconstruction (ACL, MCL, PCL, LCL)
• Meniscus surgery
• Knee replacement

Foot/ankle

• Ligament sprain
• Ligament strain
• Stress fracture
• Ligament surgery
• Ankle replacement
• Bunion surgery

Most people dealing with the conditions mentioned above can start physical therapy. With some surgeries, surgeons recommend when to begin a physical therapy course of care; consult your physician if you’ve had surgery before beginning PT. With any other non-surgical ache or pain, physical therapy can begin right away in most cases. Many states allow patients to access physical therapy directly without a physician referral or prescription. Athletico clinics are familiar with the direct access laws and can explain how it works in your state and with your insurance plan.

There is no need to wait and be in pain any longer. Request a free assessment at your local Athletico clinic today to start feeling better and to get back to living a pain-free life. Free assessments are available both in-clinic and virtually through our telehealth platform.

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*Per federal guidelines, beneficiaries of plans such as Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, VHA and other federally funded plans are not eligible for free assessments.

The Athletico blog is an educational resource written by Athletico employees. Athletico bloggers are licensed professionals who abide by the code of ethics outlined by their respective professional associations. The content published in this blog is for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied on for making personal health decisions.