What to Expect at Your First Appointment

Your first appointment will take 60-75 minutes. Please plan to arrive on time so we can maximize the time set aside for you. Feel free to invite someone to accompany you to your appointment if doing so will make you more comfortable or be useful to you. Expect to play an active role in your visit. You should have adequate time to have any questions answered and to work with me to shape your treatment program.

At your first visit I will:

Take a thorough medical history and perform appropriate musculoskeletal testing.
Give you my professional opinion about your condition and how we might work to meet your treatment goals.
Provide you with specific exercises or suggestions for a home program, working individually with you to make these realistic and workable for you.
Schedule return visits which will be used to continue with your treatment, measure your progress, and modify your program as needed.
Discuss an estimated time frame for the expected frequency of PT visits and duration of your treatment.

Things to bring with you to your first visit:

Completed intake forms, which can be printed from this website, or can be mailed to you at your request. These forms include Condition and Consent form and Health Screening form. If your visit is for problems with bowel or bladder frequency or incontinence, you should also complete the Symptom Questionaire and the Daily Bowel and/or Bladder Log.
Your health insurance card
A written prescription for physical therapy from your doctor or health care provider if you have one. Washington State Law allows access to evaluation and treatment by a physical therapist without a physician’s referral. However, many insurance providers require this for re-imbursement. Additionally, any patients with bowel or bladder problems, or pelvic pain should first be evaluated by your medical doctor. If you do not have a health care provider, please contact my office and I may be able to suggest some providers of the appropriate specialty for you to see.