Frequently Asked Questions
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This is the most common question we hear! Luckily, it’s the easiest one to answer: If you’re in pain due to any of the following problems, then YES, physical therapy is likely right for you:
- Back pain and stiffness
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Shoulder muscles tension and tightness
- Leg pain and numbness
- Sports injury
- Ankle or knee pain
- Pain in hamstring, calf, and groin muscles or the Achilles tendon
- Pain underneath your foot
- Pain in your lower back when you sit or stand, even for short periods
- Pain and stiffness in your back when you put on your socks and shoes
Just in case, we always offer new clients a complimentary Full Body Diagnostic, so we can meet them in person, get a feel for what’s wrong, and make sure physical therapy is the right choice before we ask them to commit to anything.
Pain is an unavoidable part of physical therapy–but it’s a good kind of pain, like the stretch or muscle burn during a workout.
Manual therapy is a very physical experience, and treatments can often be a little uncomfortable sometimes, but we always aim to be as gentle as possible and cause minimal discomfort.
Injuries we commonly treat include:
Back
- Disc prolaspe/herniated disc/slipped disc/bulging disc
- Sacroiliac joint pain and stiffness
- Sciatica
- Spinal Stenosis
- Weak core stability
Neck/Shoulder
- Disc prolaspe/herniated disc/slipped disc/bulging disc
- Impingement Syndrome
- Muscle spasm and tension
- Neck Spondylosis (degeneration)
- Rotator Cuff tear
Ankle and Knee
- Achilles tendon
- Ankle Sprain
- Knee Cartilage
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Post-surgery knee rehab
Sports Injury/Muscles
- Achilles tendonitis
- Calf strain
- Groin strain
- Hamstring strain
- Shoulder muscle tear
If your injury isn’t on the list, that doesn’t mean we don’t treat it– just means you’re a rare case! We’d love to chat with you about your situation.
Feeling pain is NOT a normal part of aging. If there are people in their 100’s running marathons, then it must be possible to get older without being in pain!
We usually find that chronic pain is caused by decades of poor posture. Posture affects every inch of the body (even the knees, hips, and feet), but it won’t show up on MRIs or x-rays, so a lot of people never know why they hurt, and they chalk it up to “getting older”.
Our physical therapists are experts in posture training and have great success helping people with chronic pain. In fact, our specialty is the people who don’t know why they’re in pain!
Did your experience go like this?
You met with a physical therapist for a few minutes to discuss your problem area. You were handed off to an assistant, who gave you a list of exercises, and you spend the rest of the appointment using a treadmill or another piece of equipment.
You came back three times per week, working on your exercises–not even 100% sure you were doing them right–until your insurance company ran out of allowable visits for the year. You may have felt a little better, but not as good as you hoped you would.
This type of treatment can leave you feeling frustrated, distressed, and helpless—which is why we NEVER offer it!
At Bridging The Gap, we treat you like an individual.
You will spend the entirety of every session working one-on-one with a physical therapist (not an assistant).
You’ll also have the same doctor each time–which means that every step of your recovery will be closely monitored by someone who is up-to-date on your unique situation
Finally, because our treatments are so highly personalized, we’re able to get you better more quickly.
If you’re not convinced that you’ll have a better experience with us, we invite you to schedule a free Full Body Diagnostic so we can get to know each other. It’s complimentary, and a great risk-free way to see if we’ll be able to meet your needs.
To make your experience as comfortable as possible, please base your outfit choices around the location of your injured body part.
For example, if you have a knee injury, wear shorts instead of jeans. If you’re suffering from a shoulder injury, consider a looser shirt. If your hip is the culprit, it’s probably best not to wear a dress.
Your physical therapist will always aim to remove as little clothing as possible, and we will always respect your privacy if removing an article of clothing makes you uncomfortable.
The more the merrier! We encourage you to bring someone along to your first session, at the very least. Not only does it provide emotional support, but it also makes it easier to remember everything you learned at your appointment if you have an extra set of eyes and ears.
You do not need to inform us in advance if you’ll be bringing a guest.
We never pressure anyone to commit to a treatment plan with us! Nothing is more important than your health, so we encourage you to take your time making this decision.
If you need more information about physical therapy and what it can do for you, download any of our free guides below!