FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is physical therapy? Physical therapy has been used to help people recover from injuries and illness since 1894. It became popular during the times of the great wars, and the polio epidemics. Today, PTs can work in many settings: hospitals, rehabilitation, outpatient orthopedic, neurologic settings, and home health to name a few. The main goals of physical therapy are to evaluate function and structure, and then to enhance function. We work to reduce pain, improve range of motion, instruct in good body mechanics/ workstation assessments, educate on posture/gait/exercise. In short, our goals are to restore your function and help you get back to living.

Can anyone see a physical therapist? Yes. You will need to see your doctor, to discuss your pain and/or injury. Your doctor writes a referral for physical therapy with the diagnosis, and you make the appointment with us. We keep in contact with your physician, and together we create your treatment plan.

Will my insurance cover the costs? We are providers with many insurance companies: Anthem, BC/BS, Aetna, Tricare, Medicare, USFHP, CIGNA, workman's compensation, and many private insurers. Dave can assist you in finding out more about your coverage benefits, and you can contact your insurance carrier directly. We do offer assistance so those patients with little or no insurance can still access our care.

How are physical therapists trained? Currently a PT must have a Master's Degree or higher and hold a Maine state license to practice in Maine. Soon a Doctorate in physical therapy will be required of all new graduates in order to practice.

What are manual therapies? It describes the techniques we use at FPMT, and means we use our hands to evaluate and treat your symptoms. Some other outpatient settings use machines to try to mask your pain symptoms, or hand out ready-made sheets of exercises, or have gym equipment and supervise your workout. At FPMT we believe we can evaluate your structures, then use myofascial release, craniosacral therapy, and neurologic techniques with exercise to re-balance your musculoskeletal system. These techniques reduce your pain, and open up the body so you can move again, with balance. Then we use exercise, (yoga, Pilates, etc.--- one-on-one instruction) to help you learn HOW to move effectively, sit/ sleep/ and work effectively, and return to your life. Our goals are to help you return to a productive, pain-free, and active lifestyle. We give you the tools you'll need to handle future incidences of pain, and then you can return to your usual exercise and active lifestyle.If your injury is going to impact your lifestyle for the long-term, we can educate you on how to make modifications at work and home. We can guide you toward any assistive devices or splints, etc. that you may need to support you in your disease process so you can live safely and improve your function.

How is physical therapy different from massage therapy? Some of our patients at first confuse our work with massage therapy, because they are not used to medical professionals "touching them". We use manual techniques to better evaluate your level of injury, and to feel the body's connections so we can improve its function. As noted above, our training is much more extensive. PTs make changes in your structure. We work on specific injuries, sites of pain, and we work with your doctor. We can guide you through your injury, reduce pain, and improve your function. At discharge, a massage therapist can help you maintain the gains we make in PT.

What does it mean to be holistic? We define this as taking into consideration your lifestyle, your medical history, and your fitness/ lifestyle goals. We work to balance your tissues, and educate you on how to live within your body, in a more balanced way. We are happy to work with other disciplines, and we will discuss with you treatment from other practitioners if we feel this is in your best interest.

What can I expect from my visit(s)? Wear something comfortable and loose, like workout clothes or pants/shorts that are easy to move in. If we are working on the neck or back, a bathing suit top may be appropriate. On your first visit, you will fill out intake information, and Dave will collect any insurance coverage information. Your therapist will take you through an evaluation process, and you will likely receive 30 + minutes of actual treatment. Often you will leave with some sort of exercise or technique you can try at home to reduce your pain. At subsequent visits, we will instruct/review exercises, and treat your specific injury or painful areas. We work with you so you can reach your goals.

How can PT help my neck pain? Neck pain can extend into the jaw or head, down the back, and into the shoulder. This is due to the attachments through the neck to these areas. Our PTs will evaluate your structure and function, and use PT techniques, exercise, and postural training to re-balance your body. We will help you look at your work positions, activities, sleep and driving positions, and modify these so you can reduce your pain. We will give you exercises to stretch and strengthen your body, and use techniques to help you communicate with your body again. For example, we can use deep breathing techniques to help you reduce the stress you might store in your neck. We can also use our evaluation techniques to help your doctor and medical team more quickly find problems, and offer them information that could lad to a faster diagnosis on their part.

How can PT help my back pain? There can be many causes for back pain. It can often be a cumulative effect of the many low grade injuries we have from daily living, like carrying laundry, or a pocketbook that's too heavy, or poor sitting and standing posture. PT s will evaluate you in these areas, and offer tips on how you can reduce your pain. Your home program at discharge will include stretches and strength moves you can do to help prevent future injuries. We can also use our evaluation techniques, and report these to your doctor, to help him/her and your medical team to more quickly identify problems, and offer them information that could lad to a faster diagnosis on their part.

How can PT help me during pregnancy? Pain does not have to occur throughout and after pregnancy. We have had very good luck treating pregnant clients with neck, shoulder, back, hip, and pelvic pain. We will evaluate your skeletal system each week, and give you tips on how to avoid injury as the months pass. We can offer very useful tips for comfortable and safe sleep positions, exercise, postures, and we can help your body get ready for labor and delivery. We can assist with edema (swelling) I the legs and arms, and give you ideas on how to posture during bed rest, if that is necessary. Post-partum, we can help you regain your muscle balances, and feel at home in your body more effectively, more quickly. You can return to your exercise regime, or enhance it, with our help, and do so safely. We can instruct you in exercises during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and for post-partum. We can help you learn how to care for, feed, and carry your new baby and all the equipment that comes with them. We believe that with PT support, you can have a healthy and powerful experience during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and post-partum.