the Price of Physical Therapy

After an extremely difficult labor and delivery of my daughter, my left hip was constantly hurting to the point that I could barely walk. I went to a physical therapist that was in my neighborhood and covered by my insurance to see if I could fix the problem. I went three times for about an hour each, once a week. After I warmed up on a treadmill, my therapist did some tests to determine my range of mobility and then taught me some exercises to correct the misalignment of my hip. I was given "homework" every week in the form of exercises to do. By the end of just three weeks, my hip felt good as new!

The facility was small and quaint, but had plenty of room for all the equipment needed by the three therapists who work there. My therapist was extremely nice and accommodating. She had two young children of her own, so she understood the limitations I had and didn't expect me to do everything perfectly. That was probably the most impressive part for me - she understood that I was nursing, so it wasn't realistic to expect perfect posture all the time, etc. She also understood that I didn't have a lot of money to spend, so she tried to limit the number of visits to only what was absolutely necessary. After the third visit, she decided that she could just call me the next week to see how I was doing and then determine if I even needed another visit, which I didn't. Overall, I was extremely happy with the service I received.

1. Be sure to do the "homework" they give you. The more consistently you do the exercises given, the less you will have to actually visit the therapist and the less you will end up paying.

2. Before you choose a therapist, if you have insurance, check into what they provide. For each visit, I was charged $100 and, because I was able to submit that to my insurance, I ended up only paying a $35 co-pay each time.

3. Be honest with your therapist about your financial situation if it is of concern to you. They can almost always work with you, whether it's establishing a payment plan or limiting the number of times you visit. If they will not work with you, or tell you that spending money is the sacrifice you have to make to feel better, look for another therapist.