I have a prescription for therapy....now what?

As you are leaving your doctor's office, he or she hands you a piece of paper that says you need Physical or Occupational therapy.  You are already feeling overwhelmed due to your injury, event or recent diagnosis and now you need to go and see someone else.  You know your neighbor recently had therapy but can't remember where she went and the doctor seems to be pushing for you to stay "in network".  What does that even mean?  Will my insurance pay for it?  Did I meet my deductible?  Is therapy considered a specialty?  Will it hurt?  Who do I call?

Rest assured, you have options...more than you probably realized, so let's start at the beginning.  Why does it say occupational therapy...I don't need a job!  True- you most likely already have one whether it be mother, worker bee, child or firefighter, currently employed or retired.  But be aware,  everything we do is an occupation!  OT Potential in their blog post, "What is OT?" does a great job differentiating PT and OT, so I won't try to reinvent the wheel.  See what they have to say below: 

How is occupational therapy different from physical therapy?
"This is a great question.
Occupational therapists and physical therapists are quite similar in some ways, as both are rehabilitation professionals who strive to help patients return to their prior level of function.
Both professions evaluate and set treatment plans based on patients’ therapy goals. And both professions believe that recovery means being able to participate in life to your fullest potential.
It’s how we go about our work that differentiates the two professions.
The key difference is that OT focuses more on the improvement of daily activities while PT focuses more on specific improvement of body movement(s).
You can think of a PT like a human body mechanic, and an OT as a guide to the reintegration into normal life."

What conditions do occupational therapists treat?
Occupational therapists see a variety of conditions based on our expertise in assessing performance around the whole person, environment and occupation.  Typically in an outpatient setting, you may need to come see us because of joint pain or injury in your hands or elbow, or maybe a concussion has impacted your ability to perform in work or school, or a stroke has limited the use of your dominant hand, or Parkinson's now makes it harder to get dressed because of a tremor, or your memory isn't as good as it use to be and you need a way to remember how to take your medication.  Maybe it's not you who needs therapy but a loved one... for children, sensory overload may impact how they can pay attention in class or tolerate their clothes,  or low tone may be impacting their ability to firmly grasp a pencil or hold a fork, or maybe their working memory isn't allowing them to perform all the steps in their math homework in order.    These and many more are the reasons why your physician gave you the referral to the expert in activity. 
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Who do I call?  What do I say?
In the Lehigh Valley, we are blessed by having several large hospital networks all within our reach.  Despite this service on every corner approach,  bigger doesn't always suit everyone or equate to better care.  You can certainly receive therapy services from one of their many satellite outpatient therapy clinics, or you can seek out private practice clinics that offer just as much expertise.  You don't have to stay within the hospital network system if you don't want to. 
So what's the difference in service?  It's all in what you are looking.  Private practice settings typically offer a more laid back feel as soon as you walk in the door.  Does that mean less experience or knowledge with your condition?  Absolutely NOT!  Private practice clinicians are more often than not the entrepreneurs who found that something was missing in the BIG network setting.  Possibly programming, possibly one-on-one patient care or having the time to listen to the most important person in the room...YOU... instead of worrying about productivity numbers.
After deciding what type of setting best suits your needs, when calling for an appointment, you should have the prescription the doctor gave to you ready, or be able to explain why you are seeking therapy.  The office will then ask you for some basic demographic information, your insurance information and will then schedule an appointment for you within 24 to 48 hours of your call.  Your insurance will be verified and any additional cost to you will be explained.

What should I expect during my first appointment?
The therapist will meet with you and get a good medical history- this means what your current needs are as well as what other conditions you may have.  You should bring a list of current medications or be able to tell your provider what they are.  Depending on your condition, you may be asked to move your injured body part, take a memory or strength test, identify what functional limitations you have and/or discuss what activities you need to return to in order to get back to LIFE.  Based on your conversation, a treatment plan will be established, incorporating your goals, and future appointments may be established.  Frequency is often based on your diagnosis and can vary from 1-3 times a week.  

Will it hurt?
Remember that occupational therapy is looking at ways for you to return to function.  Initially, this may be through adaptation, compensation or restoration.  So will it hurt?  Hopefully not, but if you feel discomfort, absolutely tell your therapist!  They may need to modify the approach.  Not everyone is the same and you may respond to activity differently than expected.   There are such things as muscle fatigue and delayed onset muscle soreness, just like when you work out at the gym.  And that is normal.  If you are seeking therapy out after a concussion, you may have a headache afterwards, but you should never be incapacitated after treatment.

When will I get better?
To be honest, it all depends- even our therapist crystal balls are foggy at best on most days.  Are there guestimations for different diagnoses?  Yes, and even more importantly, recovery is based on age, current medical status, carry through of your home exercise program and listening to your body.  And sometimes, especially with neurological conditions, back to 100% and back to baseline function can look totally different.  You may be performing things differently, but still independently.  That's something you need to discuss with your therapist starting on day one in order to create your successful story!

#OTCanHelp