DIRECT ACCESS
WHAT IS DIRECT ACCESS?
Direct access are laws in Virginia among other states that allow you to seek care from your physical therapist without a physician referral. This means that, as a patient, you can call us directly if you have an injury, pain, stiffness, or weakness that you want evaluated. Reach out to me FIRST with any ache or pain that you have!
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
This is likely a bigger deal than most people think. For one, the speed of initiating care is a big predictor of success with physical therapy. Historically, many of us were required to see a physician first, which too often led to increased medication use, unnecessary imaging and referrals to other specialists prior to being sent to physical therapy. The time, money expenditure, and treatments that were utilized could actually delay healing. Much evidence has shown that conservative care in physical therapy can reduce cost, improve outcomes, provide pain relief without the dependency on opioids, and reduce the need for surgery.