David Bertone, P.T., O.C.S., of db Orthopedic Physical Therapy, P.C., is committed to helping consumers make smart decisions with their dwindling healthcare benefits. During these difficult economic times, it is even more important that people with or without health insurance consider cost effective approaches to manage their musculoskeletal injuries.
Since 2003, New Jersey consumers have had the ability to access the services of a physical therapist directly without a referral from a physician, but very few understand the benefits of this strategy and when they should consider it. Quite simply, there are many non-traumatic events in a person’s life that require medical intervention and often they make choices that waste their healthcare spending on unnecessary physician visits, expensive tests and drugs without actually getting any treatment to fix the problem.
“Getting your pain or injury assessed by a physical therapist offers the consumer an opportunity to be educated about the problem, get immediate treatment, learn what it will take to get better faster and reduce the chance for re-injury,” Bertone said. “Of course there will be times when a medical diagnosis is required, so a referral will then be made to the appropriate physician.”
Common problems that would benefit from an evaluation and treatment by a physical therapist would be waking up with a stiff neck, low back pain, ankle sprains, shoulder pain with limited mobility, muscle strains, knee pain, and many other conditions that are limiting your ability to function at home, work or in your recreational sport.
A recent publication by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also emphasized the benefits of physical therapy for the treatment of chronic pain instead of opioid medications which can be highly addictive. They also concluded that there is evidence that exercise supervised by a physical therapist can reduce the pain associated with knee and hip osteoarthritis and be able the sustain the reduced pain state for two to six months. These findings are supported by strong clinical evidence and patients can access the skills of a physical therapist directly here in New Jersey, thus saving valuable healthcare dollars.
“Our practice is unique in the field of physical therapy since the patient is seen by the same highly skilled doctoral trained physical therapist,” Bertone said. “The difference is clear when you consider the savings you realize in your healthcare dollars when you measure your speed of recovery and reduced risk of re-injury.”
Dr. Bertone is a doctoral-trained physical therapist and board-certified in orthopedic rehabilitation by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. He is president of db Orthopedic Physical Therapy with locations in Lincroft and Manalapan. Dr. Bertone can be reached at 732-747-1262 or via e-mail at dbertone@dborthopt.com.
