Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to Progressive Therapeutics Patient FAQ (frequently asked questions) section. The purpose of this section is to answer some of the questions you have or may have before you arrive for therapy. If you have a question which needs immediate answer please call us at 708-364-7500

Treatment time will vary according to what the physical or occupational therapist finds in the evaluation. There is no specific time limit for therapy. Whatever is found to be appropriate during the evaluation will become part of the patient’s program and the program will be updated as appropriate as the patient improves. In general, therapy treatments last anywhere 1/2 hour to 1 hour depending on your rehabilitation stage.

Because your physical or occupational therapist will perform a meticulous evaluation, quantifying and qualifying all the deficits and problems you are presenting with, re-evaluation, and re-measurement to determine progress are possible. You will be re-evaluated on a periodic basis the frequency of which will depend upon your diagnosis as well as the chronicity of the problem. In general, patients are re-evaluated anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks. Additionally, the therapist always needs to be aware of follow-up visits with your physician as a re-evaluation will be performed so that the physician can be updated at that time.

The physical or occupational therapist will communicate with you physician most commonly by written report. The therapist will send a complete written report outlining the findings of their initial evaluation as well as their assessment of the problem and an outline of the general treatment and frequency with which they intend to see you. The therapist will continue to update your physician with written reports each time you are re-evaluated and most specifically prior to your return to the physician. This is why it is so important that you let your therapist know if you have an appointment with your physician. Additionally, the therapist will, as they feel appropriate, contact the physician by phone if they have a specific concern or question. At the end of your treatment the therapist will send a discharge report to your physician with final information as to your status at the time of discharge from therapy.

Our goal at Progressive Therapeutics Center is to resolve your problem completely so that you don’t require continual follow-up or maintenance care. There are some patients who do require follow-up care or re-assessment on a periodic basis but that will be discussed with you once you are in physical therapy or at time of discharge. This is generally not the case.

If you have a recurrent problem after your discharge from physical or occupational therapy how/if you will return to therapy will depend on a number of factors. It would depend if it was a re-injury of the same specific problem, how long it has been since you were last in therapy, how long it’s been since you saw the physician, and many other factors. In general, if you are discharged from therapy and feel the need to return, you should contact the therapist who treated you. They will review your chart and call back to discuss with you what should be done, depending on the problem you are having.

In general starting physical or occupational therapy should be done as early as possible. Initiating physical therapy early on will reduce the overall treatment time that you will require by not allowing the problem to become chronic. If you are in pain and or you are in an acute state, your program will be modified according to your signs and symptoms. What is done for you in therapy depend on the clinical stage you are presenting in, not just the diagnosis Therefore, your care will be modified according to the signs and symptoms during the acute, subacute, and chronic phases of your problem.

Absolutely. If you have a problem that you think can be helped with physical or occupational therapy, feel free to give us a call. After discussing with you the specific problem you present with, we can give you a better idea if it is something that is treatable with therapy. You can also give your doctor a call. If he is not sure, he is welcome to contact us as well. In today’s healthcare, if you feel therapy can be helpful to you, you will need to stress your feelings to the doctor you are seeing.

Because of today’s health care and the wide variety of plans available, the benefits each insurance company covers varies greatly. Please review our billing and insurance participation section on this web site and if you have additional questions regarding your specific insurance give us a call.

If your physician gives you a referral to physical or occupational therapy, simply call Progressive Therapeutics Center for an appointment. Our clinic hours and location are explained on the location and hours page of this website. Our office staff will get all the necessary information from you and assist you with an appointment.

In general, wear comfortable clothing to therapy. If you are presenting with a problem of your cervical spine, upper back or shoulders, the therapist can provide you with a gown as needed to expose these areas for treatment. If you are coming for a lower extremity problem, shorts are important. You can bring whatever you like to wear with you if you need to change here.

For your first visit you will need your insurance card, physician’s prescription for therapy, and any paperwork that was sent to you that needed to be filled out. If you have any operative reports, MRI or X-ray results, you may bring those as well, but they are not necessary. Additionally, if you are utilizing any type of brace, splint, or crutches, those should come with you.

If you have increased symptoms please call your physical or occupational therapist. When you call the office, please be sure you explain to the office staff that you are having an increase in symptoms. The office staff will pull your chart and contact your therapist or a covering therapist. They will be able to review the information and will give you a call back that same day. After we discuss the case with you, we will be able to give you guidelines as to what would be appropriate to reduce your symptoms, whether you need to come in our office, or if you should contact or follow- up with your physician. It is best to call us prior to calling your physician as if a change in symptoms has occurred, it is important that we fax the physician a report so that he can be up to date on your care when you see him for a follow- up visit.

Oftentimes, your physician will give you a recommendation or a listing of physical or occupational therapists in your area. Sometimes your insurance company will guide you with regard to who is “in network” for your insurance plan. Ultimately, however, the decision as to where you receive your care is up to you. If you have a specific request, you need to let your physician or insurance company know. If we are not in network for your insurance company most plans have out of network benefits which will allow you your choice in physical therapy. Please see our billing section for more specific information.

In physical and occupational therapy, the goals should be to resolve your problem, not just temporarily relieve it. Although medication and other forms of treatment can be helpful in relieving symptoms, therapy produces a long term result. The physician may opt to utilize medication in conjunction with physical therapy depending on your diagnosis. Additionally, therapy unlike some other forms of treatment is not designed to go on as a maintenance program. Because we look to resolution, maintenance is not generally necessary.

We ask that our patients:
  • Give 24 hours notice when possible for cancellations; the answering machine is on 24 hours a day.
  • Call if you have a question or a concern or if you will be late. We will do our best to fit you in but need to know in advance for consideration of other patients.
  • Be on time. All patients are taken within 5 minutes of their scheduled time.
  • Notify your therapist at least one week prior to returning to your physician. The therapist must have this date in order to properly schedule a re-evaluation for you to update your physician on your progress.
  • Schedule appointments two weeks in advance and have the proper number of visits scheduled. If you don’t schedule your appointments in advance it will be more difficult to give you the times that you desire.

You are our partner in your recovery. Your therapist cannot do it without you! We ask that all patients cooperate by following through with their home exercise programs and instructions as this is extremely important in expediting your recovery.

Because of our expertise. Progressive Therapeutics Center is widely regarded as a leading expert in physical therapy. Physicians regularly send their own office staff and family members to our facility. Progressive Therapeutics Center is dedicated to resolving your problems in an environment that is welcoming and relaxed. Patients receive personalized care, not an assembly line atmosphere.
When it comes to your treatment, we understand the importance of having a therapist who is empathetic, a good listener, an expert in his or her field and committed to giving you the highest level of care to get you back to living a full and active life as quickly as possible.
These characteristics are required for all our employees. Our clinicians are the finest in the area. They are enthusiastic, professional and compassionate. They are highly educated and stay on top of the latest protocols and treatments. Moreover, they are committed to giving each and every patient the utmost attention and care.
If you are still not sure, feel free to give us a call and stop in to speak to one of our therapists.

The treatment you receive in physical or occupational therapy will depend upon what the therapist finds in the evaluation. Our treatment programs are mechanically oriented with a non-dependent therapeutic approach. We emphasis mobilization, self-treatment, and therapeutic exercise to go right to the structure and resolve the problem. We do not stress “feel good” modalities such as massage, but may utilize some modalities such as ultrasound, heat, electrical stimulation, etc.to assist with reducing swelling and pain to allow you to tolerate a high degree of therapeutic intervention.

On your first visit, your therapist will perform an evaluation to determine what deficits and/or problems you have that can be addressed in physical or occupational therapy. The evaluation involves a thorough history, objective testing and measuring, following which your therapist will form an opinion as to the specific problems you present. A treatment program will be developed aimed at resolving the problems identified as well as to attain the goals set by the therapist in conjunction with the patient.