How long is a physical therapy? Every question answered for 2020!

Contents

How long is physical therapy? How long is a physical therapy session? How long is your first physical therapy appointment? How long is a follow up visit? How long is a physical therapy program? How many times a week should you do physical therapy? How long should you go to physical therapy? How long is a prescription for physical therapy valid?

How long is physical therapy?

The length of physical therapy varies on a per-case basis. Most commonly, we measure the duration of physical therapy in terms of either the length of each individual visit or the length of the entire physical therapy program for a specific injury. At Kauno we offer more direct time with your physical therapist and we ensure that physical therapy programs are no longer than necessary.

How long is a physical therapy session?

At Kauno, we believe that the time a patient spends directly with their physical therapist is one of the most important variables that affects the quality of physical therapy treatment. There is more to physical therapy than aimlessly working through an exercise program. Every patient should have the opportunity to spend time with their physical therapist, ask ample questions and get an understanding for what needs to occur for their pain, or injury, to resolve. The physical therapist also needs time to think, adequately treat, and provide an in-depth education to the patient. We don’t believe these activities should be delegated to assistants, aides or techs.

At Kauno, we don’t uses physical therapy aides or PT techs, the entirety of every treatment is spent one on one with a doctor of physical therapy. If you agree, click here to book a physical therapist appointment".

How long is your first physical therapy appointment?

In physical therapy, we call the first appointment an “evaluation”. The length and style of a physical therapy evaluation differs depending on where you go. At Kauno, our evaluations are scheduled for 1 hour (60 minutes). Just like all appointments at Kauno, the entire visit will be spent with your Doctor of Physical Therapy. The evaluation consists of multiple segments. Initially, your therapist will discuss your reason for coming into physical therapy. They will attempt to understand the “big picture” of your injury, the circumstances that may be contributing and how the injury impacts your lifestyle. Once the therapist has an idea of what the issues is, they will then evaluate your physical abilities and identify potential impairments that may be contributing to your pain or injury. This may include assessments of: posture, range of motion, strength, motor control and various movements. Finally, the therapist will work with you to establish goals. Once the goals are established, you and your therapist will strategize to create an effective treatment plan which will allow you to achieve your goals.
There are times when the physical therapy evaluation may vary slightly more, or less, than the scheduled 60 minute slot. If a patient is attending physical therapy for neck pain, and it is a new and severe case, they may not be able to tolerate a fill treatment length. Conversely, if a patient is attending physical therapy with a new diagnosis of abnormal gait, like scissor gait or propulsive gait, they may have more tolerance and there may be a need to lengthen specific portions of the assessment.

How long is a follow up visit?

Follow up visits at Kauno typically last 45 minutes. They are slightly shorter than the evaluation duration because there is already an understanding of what is causing the injury and there is already a plan in place to treat the injury. Follow up visits typically include some hands on treatment to help relieve pain, improve range of motion and aide in improving your physical motion.

In addition to the hands on treatment, the majority of visits include an exercise portion to practice different movements, develop strength, improve motor control and increase your stress tolerance. An education component is involved in all treatments in order to help you understand your specific condition, and to make the treatment more effective.

How long is a physical therapy program?

We define the length of a physical therapy program by how long (weeks/months) a patient will have to consistently attend physical therapy treatments. The length of a physical therapy program in Sand Francisco is dependent on a variety of factors including: injury type, injury severity, a patient’s expectations and goals, patient compliance, and even a patient’s ability to regularly attend treatments. There is tremendous variation in program length from patient to patient. For example, if a patient is coming to therapy following a major orthopedic surgery, like an ACL reconstruction, and has goals of returning to high level sports they may expect to regularly attend physical therapy for 12-18 months. If a patient has a mild “kink” in the neck, that program may only be 1-2 visits. On average, at Kauno physical therapy programs usually consist of 6-12 visits over the course of 1-2 months. But again, there is no “standard”. Our facility is better suited for athletes and active people. We have excellent facilities that are setup to allow for higher level athletic activities including weightlifting, running and sport specific training. Our facilities have all of the necessary equipment and amenities necessary to best help you achieve your goals. We aim to provide a PT experience that will be the most effective in helping you return to sport, and lower your injury risk.

How many times a week should you do physical therapy?

The frequency of physical therapy visits varies from patient to patient. The frequency of your physical therapy program is typically determined during the physical therapy evaluation and is dependent on: the injury type, injury severity, patient goals and the patient’s schedule. Other variables that are factored into the equation of how often to see your physical therapist can include: your doctors suggestion, insurance coverage and your ability to attend regular sessions. While there is no “standard”, physical therapy frequencies are most often between 1-3 times per week. As the duration of the physical therapy program extends, visit frequency is usually decreased in response to improvement. Often times patient's enjoy scheduling intermittent “maintenance” visits in order to keep themselves accountable, re-evaluate progress and learn how to progress their recovery. Physical therapy for sciatica is a good example of how physical therapy frequency is determined. If a patient is attending physical therapy for herniated disc in the lumbar spine and they are experiencing sciatica they may initially need to attend physical therapy three times per week until the initial symptoms have improved.

Once the severe symptoms have improved, the patient may decrease their frequency to two visits per week for a several weeks, and then one visit per week once they feel their symptoms are under control. If the patient has had recurring back pain for many years, they may opt to attend monthly or quarterly sessions to continue to improve their physical abilities. Some patients also choose to attend the physical therapy version of a “sports physical”. In medicine, it is commonplace to attend yearly physicals for the purpose of assessing all of the symptoms and getting an overview of a person’s health. In physical therapy we can give patient perspective of how they are moving and identify ways they can improve their movement for purposes of improved performance, pain relief and injury prevention.

How long should you go to physical therapy?

How long you should regularly attend physical therapy is something you should definitely talk about with your physical therapist in San Francisco. While this is a similar question to “how long is a physical therapy program?” the answer is slightly different. While a physical therapy program should be based on goals, expectations and injury type and severity, the actual program length is often affected by insurance, patient schedules and poor outcomes. In a perfect world, you should go to physical therapy until you are satisfied with the results. The three most important determinants of when a program should end should be: 1. You are comfortable with your understanding of the condition you went to physical therapy for. 2. You should be confident in your ability to continue to monitor and continue to improve upon your condition. 3. There is little benefit to continuing regular physical therapy If you are well versed in how to continue to improve upon your pain or injury, you may be able to adequately manage your condition without outside help. However, if you continue to experience significant benefit by attending regular physical therapy, it’s in your interest to continue. Even if you “end” your physical therapy program, you are always welcome and encouraged to schedule a new visit whenever you feel you could use the help. Physical therapy does not always have to be a regular and extended program.

How long is a prescription for physical therapy valid?

A doctor’s prescription for physical therapy is valid for 30 days in California. However, San Francisco, California is a direct access state for physical therapy. What this means is that you do not need a doctors referral or a prescription in order to attend physical therapy. You are legally allowed to attend physical therapy for 45 days, or 12 visits, whichever is reached first. Once you go to physical therapy for 45 days, or 12 visits, for the same condition you will need a doctors referral to continue physical therapy. The doctors prescription will dictate how long you can attend physical therapy before requiring a new prescription. Some insurance companies require a doctors prescription or referral in order to cover services. This does not mean you can’t attend physical therapy, but it does mean that the insurance may not cover your appointments.

Brian King, PT, DPT

Brian is a physical therapist and co-owner at Kauno

1. Ferreira, P. H., Ferreira, M. L., Maher, C. G., Refshauge, K. M., Latimer, J., & Adams, R. D. (2012). The Therapeutic Alliance Between Clinicians and Patients Predicts Outcome in Chronic Low Back Pain. Physical Therapy, 93(4), 470–478.