Yes. The choice of where you receive physical therapy is always yours. While the majority of our patients come to us by physician recommendation, many clients request to see us due to our strong clinical reputation in the community.

Not exactly. North Carolina is considered a "direct access state," which means a physical therapist can evaluate you without a physician order. Please note, however, that most insurance companies require a signature from a medical doctor (MD) on your plan of care to cover the cost of your treatment. We do offer treatments, services, and products that do NOT require a referral and are available on a self-pay basis.

We are considered in network with the majority of health insurance plans in this region, including Medicare, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Tricare, Medcost, and with prior approval the Department of Labor. Please contact us prior to your first visit if you have concerns to see if we participate with your specific health plan.

As a service to all our patients, we will gladly file claims with your insurance company on your behalf. In order to appropriately submit these claims, we will need to obtain a copy of your insurance identification card to ensure that we have the necessary information.

Please plan to arrive 20 minutes before your scheduled appointment time. This will allow plenty of time to complete the necessary paperwork required for your care. Your therapist will conduct an evaluation of your condition as well as begin some level of treatment. Expect your initial visit to last somewhere between 60-90 minutes. The evaluation is necessary to create a program designed specifically to address your needs for a maximum recovery.

• Referral slip from your medical doctor, if you have one

• Your medical insurance card

• A copy of your medications list, including dosages

• If you are getting therapy as a result of a workers' compensation claim you will also need to bring your claim information, including claim number.

• Please arrive 20 minutes early on your first visit to fill out the necessary paperwork. Or, plan to download the forms from the website, complete as indicated, and bring them to your appointment 15 minutes early.

We recommend comfortable clothing, such as loose pants or shorts, a T-shirt or tank top and sneakers. Please understand that we may have to ask you to put on a gown, which we will provide, depending upon what condition we are seeing you for.

Each subsequent visit will typically last 60 to 90 minutes. Times vary due to the treatment, procedures, instruction, and exercises being performed.

The regularity of your visits will be determined after your initial evaluation and the creation of your individual plan of care. This can be in a range of 1 to 3 times a week and will be adjusted as your progress changes.

You may be asking why you should be going to clinic that practices using an evidence-based approach to rehab. It is really quite simple: the past 15 years has produced an explosion of research in the evaluation and treatment of various medical disorders managed by physical therapists, and traditional methods of evaluating and treatment are being challenged by this research. Evidenced-based physical therapists utilize the most up-to-date research, training, and techniques in the provision of rehabilitation services. The therapists at Craven Physical Therapy & Spine not only possess this training, but they apply it in their daily practice. Our facility provides an extensive library of evidenced-based textbooks, CD ROMS, videos, and continuing education manuals. Research articles are available on-site to substantiate the therapeutic interventions being provided to our patients. All licensed physical therapists are members of the American Physical Therapy Association, which provides professional assistance with research, clinical updates, periodicals, journals, and access to an evidenced-based website, "Hooked on Evidence." The purpose of evidenced-based therapy is to provide appropriate, cost-effective rehabilitation services with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.

The McKenzie Method - Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) for the Spine and Extremities

This method for assessment and treatment of mechanical disorders is very patient-specific. It involves the combination of a thorough analysis of a patient's complaints, or patient history, combined with specific positions and movements. Physical therapists properly trained in this method have proven reliability in their ability to group patients into diagnoses and treatment categories. This allows for a streamlined treatment approach with better patient outcomes.

This medical model of diagnosis involves identifying a specific anatomical cause for a patient's problem. Examples of such diagnoses would be a rotator cuff tear, a disc rupture, or arthritis. McKenzie trained therapists classify patients based upon positions and movements that produce, reduce, or eliminate the patient's complaints. A popular example to illustrate the importance of mechanical diagnosis is the bent finger analogy. If a patient bends their finger backward to the point in which pain is produced, this would be "mechanical pain." All medical tests would be negative for this bent finger. X-rays would not reveal a fracture, an MRI would not reveal a soft tissue tear, and swelling would be absent. The only test that would assist in diagnosing and treating this patient would be to relieve the pressure that is bending the finger. This is mechanical pain requiring a mechanical solution. Extensive research has found that a great many patients fit into this category.

A mechanical evaluation is appropriate for any patient with musculoskeletal pain. The goal of the assessment is to identify if the patient's complaints are reproducible and whether or not they respond to mechanical treatment. Patients that do not positively respond to mechanical treatment are identified early on during the patient's program and are referred to other interventions that may be more appropriate. Some of the diagnoses that have been known to benefit from this form of therapy include, but are not limited to:

• Neck pain with or without arm pain and numbness

• Back pain with or without leg pain and numbness

• Pain in the muscles and joints

• Patients who have failed to improve with previous treatments

• Patients who are self starters, and who are motivated to participate in their own recovery