3 Ways Physical Therapy Saves You Time and Money
on Monday, October 1, 2018
Physical Therapy has benefits other than helping you gain strength, improve movement, and reduce pain. It also saves time and money. According to two independent studies, seeing a physical therapist first can reduce the cost of care by about 50%. Where do the savings come from? Here are three ways physical therapy can save you time and money.
Physical Therapy Provides Functional Rehabilitation
Physical therapy’s goal is to return the patient to his or her previous level of function. Physical therapy includes exercises that will help patients regain mobility after surgery and return them quickly and safely back to the activities they enjoyed prior to injury.
Adding Up the Costs of Physical Therapy Alternatives
Physical therapy offers similar long-term outcomes to those of surgical intervention. Surgery requires additional inpatient expenses and a prolonged recovery time. These long-term patient healthcare costs can be greatly reduced with physical therapy. For example, when you add up the average costs of one MRI, a series of injections, and a year supply of opioids you get a total upwards of $13,000 in treatment costs (read: PT vs. Opioids) and if you add the cost of back surgery, you could be paying $44,600 or more for treatment.
According to a doctor from the University of Michigan, you save money not just on back injuries, but also for treatment of shoulder, knee, and neck injuries.
- For shoulder injuries, physical therapy patients saved 5 times the costs of surgery.
- For knee injuries, physical therapy patients saved almost 7 times the costs of surgery.
- For neck injuries, physical therapy patients saved over 10 times the costs of surgery.
How Do Physical Therapists Save You Time?
Patients who are diagnosed immediately after experiencing the first symptoms of pain have greater success at recovery. A 2017 Merritt Hawkins study showed that the average wait time to see a physician is 24 days, up 30% from 2014. Most states allow an individual to receive physical therapy services without a referral from a physician. Direct access to physical therapy means patients get better more quickly, so the sooner you see your physical therapist the more time you save on recovery.
Save Time and Money — Visit a Physical Therapist First!
Physical therapy is a cost-effective treatment designed to get you back on your feet quickly and with lasting results. Most insurance providers cover physical therapy and it has been proven to reduce medical costs by diminishing the need for unnecessary medication, imaging scans, or surgeries.
Visit our About Us page to learn more about our practice, clinic, and staff. You can also read more about our Chronic Pain Treatment.
Call 503.928.4914 to schedule an appointment with us today.
