Physical therapy for the knees can help to decrease pain and increase strength.
Physical therapy forknee paintypically requires two or three sessions a week for several weeks.
At the initial visit, the physical therapist will evaluate your knee pain and develop a customized treatment plan.
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Physical therapy for the knees involves exercises, hands-on therapy, and treatments like ultrasound.
This article discusses physical therapy for knee pain.
It explains how knee pain is evaluated and treated.
It also provides tips for getting insurance approval for knee physical therapy.
Before Starting Knee Physical Therapy
Physical therapy for knee pain starts with an initial evaluation.
After the assessment, your physical therapist will develop a customized treatment plan.
This usually involves two or three sessions a week for several weeks.
Will Insurance Cover Knee PT?
Most insurance companies and Medicare cover physical therapy when medically necessary.
However, it may be limited to a certain number of visits and specific providers.
Check your policy before setting up an appointment.
You may be required to see a doctor for a prescription for physical therapy first.
Prior authorization may also be needed before you get going treatment.
This is often based on the initial evaluation.
Your insurance company may only approve a handful of visits at first.
If that’s the case, another evaluation will be needed before more sessions are approved.
Interview and Forms
You’ll be given paperwork to fill out at your first appointment.
The forms will include questions about your medical history and current pain.
Rating Your Knee Pain
You will also be asked to rate your pain with different movements.
Treatment is usually approved for moderate to severe pain.
If you rate your pain as mild, treatment may not be covered.
Targeted exercises are used to help strengthen and improve the mobility of the knee.
Pain in the knee can limit one or all of these activities.
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U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Knee pain.
