FAQs

Thanks to Direct Access laws, you can! The APTA’s website states, “Direct access means the removal of the physician referral mandated by state law to access physical therapist services for evaluation and treatment. Every state, the District of Columbia, and the US Virgin Islands allow for evaluation and some form of treatment without a physician referral.” To clarify, this means you can choose what clinic you want to receive treatment from without having to wait for your primary care doctor to refer you to them. No referral or prescription is necessary!

The ability to visit a physical therapist without a prescription or referral is called Direct Access. Don’t have a prescription for physical therapy? No problem!

Direct Access allows you to go directly to a physical therapist without the need for a physician’s prescription or referral. All fifty states and the District of Columbia have made a ruling enabling patients “direct access” to physical therapy services and programs.

In other words, the government made it acceptable for individuals to go straight to a physical therapy clinic of their choice and receive the resources and treatment they require.

Tracking your pain and mobility levels as you go through your physical therapy program is the most visible approach to gauge your improvement and progress. You should notice a significant improvement in your discomfort and range of motion as you progress through your rehabilitation exercises.

Scheduling an appointment at Advanced Care Physical Therapy in Milltown and Edison, NJ is easier than ever! Our scheduling is easy, and we offer a convenient location and appointment times for you. We have morning and evening appointments available to meet the demands of your busy schedule. Contact us today or click here to request an appointment.

Although every patient is different, the initial session usually lasts 1 hour 15 minutes. After that, each session could last 45-60 minutes.

The length of time will be determined by your unique needs, which our therapist will discuss with you. To begin, you’ll probably see your therapist once or twice a week, with your appointments becoming more spaced out as you proceed through treatment.

We understand that dealing with insurance can be complicated; therefore, Advanced Care Physical Therapy would gladly assist you in contacting your insurance carrier and assessing your coverage depending on your specific policy.

Insurance will, in most situations, pay a significant amount, if not all, of your treatment costs.

Visit our insurance plans page for additional information, and please do not hesitate to contact our (local) physical therapy office. For your convenience, we provide a variety of payment alternatives.

If you don’t have insurance, that’s okay. Our clinic will never turn a patient away for this reason! For patients who do not have insurance, we offer a discounted fee due at the time of service. Please contact our Milltown and Edison, NJ clinic and speak to our front desk about costs and setting up payment plans.

If you are unable to make it to your appointment due to illness or another emergency, our clinic requests that you call us at least 2 hours before your scheduled appointment time to let us know. We understand emergencies happen and that’s why we don’t charge any cancellation fee to add to more stress. However, a call would always be appreciated if you are not able to keep an appointment.

We also ask that if you have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus, please reschedule your appointment with our front desk so that we can maintain a safe, healthy environment for our patients and employees.

Please give us a call to verify your insurance benefits. We will try to provide you with an estimate of coverage.

To prepare for your first appointment, please do the following:

• Print out the patient forms, fill them out, and bring them with you if you are able. If you cannot do this or do not have access to a printer/computer, please allow for extra time to fill these out upon your arrival.
• Arrive 15 minutes early to complete any remaining paperwork to maximize your time in your evaluation.
• Wear comfortable clothing that allows easy access to your problem areas.
• Bring your insurance information for us to make a copy for your file.
• If you have a prescription (if needed) for physical therapy from your referring physician, ARNP, or PA, please bring that as well.
• In case of an automobile accident or worker’s compensation claim, bring any case manager or insurance adjuster’s contact names, phone numbers, and claim number.

Occupational therapy is a type of treatment that uses ordinary activities to assist people of all ages to participate in the tasks they want and need to do (occupations). Occupational therapy, unlike other professions, helps people operate in all of their surroundings (e.g., at home, at work, at school, in the community) and addresses the physical, psychological, and cognitive elements of their well-being through activity.

People of all ages can benefit from occupational therapy, ranging from children with disabilities in school and social settings to elders needing help improving their physical and cognitive health.

Our occupational therapists focus on each patient’s functional needs by providing exercises and activities that enhance physical and mental health. We put in a lot of effort to assist people in recovering from injuries and regaining functioning skills. 

We take a whole-body approach to therapy and focus on overall potential and function. Once your occupational therapist understands what demands are being placed on your body, they can develop an exercise program that will strengthen affected joints, increase mobility, and hopefully make everyday life much easier for you.

The first thing an occupational therapist will do during treatment is to evaluate your strength, mobility, flexibility, and range of motion. From there, they will create a customized treatment plan that is aimed at helping you regain and maintain your strength. 

Occupational therapists can treat various conditions and help patients regain and maintain muscle strength needed to perform daily tasks of living. 

Occupational therapy can help with:

• Mental health
• Driving
• Environment
• Feeding, eating, swallowing
• Low vision
• School systems
• Amputations
• Depression and anxiety
• Arthritis
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Dementia
• Alzheimer’s
• Burns
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Dupuytren’s contracture
• Tendinitis
• Hip or Knee Replacements
• Huntington’s Disease
• Motor Neurone Disease
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Orthopaedics
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Scar Management
• Spinal Injury
• Stroke

Physical therapy and occupational therapy are often confused with one another. Physical therapy helps patients cope with:

• Discomfort
• expand the range of motion
• improve endurance
• strengthen gross motor skills. 

Occupational therapy focuses more on the following:

• how clients accomplish activities such as getting dressed, driving, bathing, and more.
• roles that are most important in their daily lives like performing their jobs

Typically, your doctor will refer you to an occupational therapist. Your insurer sometimes requires a doctor’s referral. You could see anyone in the network, depending on your insurance.

A registered massage therapist is a licensed massage therapist who treats medical conditions that a doctor has diagnosed. Registered massage therapists have advanced training and experience, allowing them to provide care aimed at healing injuries, improving function, or increasing circulation. 

Medical massages help reduce pain and stress, especially for patients with cancer, fibromyalgia, or who are in hospice.

You may be asked to fill out a health history form by your massage therapist. Following that, your therapist will ask you general questions about what areas need attention and if there are any conditions that need to be addressed. This will help them determine whether medical massage is appropriate for you. 

Your massage experience will depend on what condition of  yours is being treated and on the expert advice of your massage therapist.  You may experience a traditional massage to relax the muscles on the surface of the skin, or a deep tissue massage used to target the muscles deep beneath the skin.

A massage session usually lasts up to 90 minutes, but you can reap the benefits of massage in as little as 30 minutes.

You should undress to your level of comfort. Most people undress entirely for a full-body massage. However, it is perfectly fine to leave your underwear on if that will make you more comfortable during the session, 

Your massage therapist will allow you to undress and get comfortable on the table in private.

Most people leave their sessions feeling very at ease and relaxed.  Many individuals report that after their massage, long-term aches and pains have lessened in severity or gone away completely. 

If you had a deep tissue massage, you might be a little sore the following day. This is nothing to worry about and usually feels like you just had a good workout at the gym! A hot shower or a soak in the tub can help relieve any muscle soreness you may experience.