How to Find a Physical Therapist Near Me

how to find a physical therapist

If you’re injured, in pain, or in post-op recovery, you may find yourself wondering, “how do I find a physical therapist near me?” Not all PTs are alike, and the experience you have in therapy, good or bad, may alter the course of your recovery. Finding the right physical therapist can make all the difference!

Finding a Physical Therapist Near Me: Where to Start

The shortest answer to, “how do I find a physical therapist near me?” is to use the clever directory from APTA, the American Physical Therapy Association. 

Physical therapy takes place in all kinds of settings, including hospitals, schools, nursing homes, and even private residences through home health PT. Most commonly, however, you’ll complete physical therapy in a private outpatient clinic.

As you peruse your options, the following factors may help you narrow down your search.

Convenience Factor

The best PT clinic in the world is no good if it’s unrealistically far away, has mismatching hours, or offers no availability. 

Frankly, you’re more likely to stick to your appointments if it’s convenient for you to go. Clinics of long commute are more subject to cancellations brought on by bad weather, slow traffic, or poor time management, so find a clinic you can reasonably get to a few times a week if necessary. 

If your schedule is tight or inflexible, ask the clinic about their operating hours, which may or may not include evenings and weekends. But to be of any benefit, those off-hours times need to be open (and not booked up), so be sure to ask about availability also.

Specialization

There are many different types of PT clinics out there, and some may even specialize in your particular type of injury or demographic. Here’s a short list of common specializations:

  • Sports Medicine
  • Women’s Health
  • Pediatrics
  • Geriatrics
  • Cardiovascular and pulmonary
  • Neurology
  • Oncology

If you’re having trouble finding one, your doctor may be able to put you in touch with a clinic or specialist they believe will be most appropriate for your needs. 

4 Ways to Find a Good Physical Therapist

Rehabilitation plays a vital role in recovery, and it’s hard to overstate the benefits of physical therapy. The key to a worthwhile experience, however, is to make sure you have the right person administering your treatments. 

Beyond simply finding a PT clinic, you need to find a good PT clinic. Here are 4 ways to ensure you’ll be putting your recovery in the right set of hands.

1. Ask your doctor

Because PTs and physicians often work together, sometimes the best place to start is with your regular doctor. Simply ask them how to find a physical therapist, and they’ll probably have a quick recommendation or two! 

Whether it’s for chronic back pain, poor posture, or a rotator cuff tear, doctors regularly refer their patients to PT. Over the years—and the back and forth that ensues—doctors learn which PTs are trustworthy and competent. Your physician may be able to make a strong recommendation one way or the other based on what they read in the PT’s documentation and what they see in patient progress.

Some doctors may have a financial interest in referring patients to a particular clinic, so you don’t have to go where they recommend if you have reason to be skeptical. And even if you don’t have a referral or prescription, you may be able to visit a PT on your own through direct access (check your insurance coverage first, though).

2. Consult Google Reviews

If you want to confirm your doctor’s recommendation—or find reasons to dissent it—check the tell-all forum of Google reviews. Chances are your doctor hasn’t actually been treated by the PT they recommend, so the stories and impressions of past patients can help you piece together a clearer picture.

On the other hand, Google reviews should be taken with a grain of salt. PT isn’t a magic treatment that will work without patient compliance—so a 1-star review based on unsatisfactory results may reflect more poorly on the patient than the PT. But you may learn things in these reviews that the clinic would never tell you up front.

3. Visit the clinic

See for yourself what all the hubbub is about. Whether from a doctor’s orders, a raving review, or sheer curiosity, contact a clinic to request a visit. Some clinics will really roll out the red carpet for you, giving you a tour of the facility and introducing you to staff along the way. You may even be offered a brief, complimentary consultation. 

What to Look for in a PT Clinic

Opting for an in-person visit provides a valuable peek inside the clinic. So as you’re razzle-dazzled (or not!), closely watch what’s happening on the floor.

  • One-on-one care

Are the patients getting due attention or just sitting idly, waiting to be helped, with too many patients for too few therapists? That’s a bad sign. 

Many clinics have gotten into the financially-incentivized habit of scheduling multiple patients under one PT as a group treatment. Worse, if a clinic is short-staffed you may be shoved off to a therapy technician instead of the PT or PTA you’re paying for. 

  • Clean, Quality Equipment

Take a look at the equipment, too—not just what it is, but how updated it is, how clean it is, and whether everything works. 

In this day and age of viral transmission, it behooves PT clinics to clean and disinfect shared equipment after every use. If you don’t see that happening on the floor, while you’re visiting, you can bet it doesn’t happen on the regular.

  • Services Offered

Besides adequate staffing and equipment, you’ll want to make sure the clinic’s service offerings cover the basics: thermal, ultrasound, and electrical modalities at a minimum, in addition to massage. Bonus points for the clinic with aquatic therapy capabilities. 

You may or may not need all these services over the course of your treatment, but a clinic that’s worth its salt will have the basics in regular rotation.

Questions to ask a PT clinic:

  • Will I have the same PT every time? Will I have them to myself?
  • What services do you provide?
  • What kinds of equipment do you use?
  • Do you take my insurance?
  • What are your hours and availability for new patients?

What to Look for in a PT

If you’ve settled on a clinic, your next step is to meet a PT in an initial evaluation or consultation. Keep a lookout for the following qualities, shared by every great PT:

Current certification and relevant license

This should go without saying, but a PT isn’t a proper PT without a current, valid, state-issued license to practice physical therapy. In most states, licenses expire every two years

Good communication skills

This isn’t a job interview or a blind date, but the relationship you foster with your PT can make a big impact on your progress. If your PT communicates well and puts you at ease, you’ll feel more comfortable performing therapy and voicing your concerns. 

Plus, a good PT educates as they instruct, explaining the purpose behind each treatment and the technique best suited for each exercise.  

Take-home materials

On top of excellent communication skills in the clinic, a great PT is diligent to ensure that top-quality and easy-to-follow handouts follow you home after each session. Some PTs may point you to a particular video, app, or other online resource you can use to continue treatments on your own at home. 

A good PT will make keeping up with your treatment easy—not something for which you have to rely on memory or hand-scribbled notes. Don’t forget to ask if they provide teletherapy visits to guide at-home sessions or make up for a missed appointment.

Questions to ask a PT:

  • What certifications do you hold? Are they current?
  • What materials will I be given after each session and upon discharge?
  • Do you offer teletherapy?

4. Go with Experience

Finally, if you’re short on time, sometimes the surest way to find a good physical therapist is through experience. Ask around. Did someone you know recently go through surgery and rehab? This is where those reviews, recommendations, and general impressions come into play.

Generally, a PT clinic will drum up good business for a good reason. If you consistently, recurrently hear good things about a particular place, chances are the rumors are true. Is there a particular clinic that is well-respected in your community, with a reputation of providing excellent care? That may be all the recommendation you need to find a new PT and be on your way to a speedy recovery.  

Tim Fraticelli DPT, MBA, CFP®

Tim Fraticelli is a Physical Therapist, Certified Financial Planner™ and founder of PTProgress.com. He loves to teach PTs and OTs ways to save time and money in and out of the clinic, especially when it comes to documentation or continuing education. Follow him on YouTube for weekly videos on ways to improve your financial health.