Frequently Asked Questions

Pediatric physical therapy and physical therapy is a similar relationship to a pediatrician versus a primary care doctor. Children are different than adults. They deserve a sports physical therapist who understands pediatric injuries and addresses their emotional and psychological needs in a comfortable, nurturing and safe environment. Education for both the patient and their family is a key component to the treatment plan. Many youth injuries are caused from overuse or faulty movement patterns. Upon learning proper mechanics and potential warning signs, repeat injuries can be prevented. 

Your child’s initial visit will be an hour in length. During this time, we will discuss the injury, take objective measurements and create a treatment plan based on your child’s goals. Each patient will leave with a personalized plan and begin treatment in their first visit! 

All follow up visits will be an hour and allow us to progress the treatment plan and alter as needed. My goal is to return each child back to their activity as quick as possible, but safely with objective data and collaboration with the child and their family. 

Yes and no. Pediatric Return 2 Sports Therapy is considered out of network. You will be given a receipt at the conclusion of each visit to be reimbursed by your insurance. Traditional physical therapists see patients 2-3 times a week, thus you are paying 2-3 co-pays or co-shares per week. Those visits are often split between a physical therapist and an aid. I believe in seeing patients once a week, outside of specific injuries or surgeries which require additional visits initially. All appointments for the full hour are with me, exclusively, who knows your child’s individual treatment plan.

When it comes to athletic performance, I have found it helpful to use video feedback. How often have you tried to help your child only to be met with their comment that they don’t do that? Professional athletes use video feedback, as it is an immediate and effective tool to help see what is actually happening. I use video feedback with youth athletes so they can see themselves performing a technique correctly or incorrectly followed by instructions on how they can change and improve their form. Sports happens too quickly and it is nearly impossible to see movement that happens in less than a tenth of a second without video feedback. All video taken is stored in a secure medical chart, so that the patient and therapist can access the video at any time to see the improvements. 

Physical therapy is not magic, but there is a winning formula; the treatment plan created between the patient, their family and myself and the patient’s hard work. The home exercise program and my knowledge are only as good as the work the patient puts into the program. Each patient’s home exercise program is available on the portal which can be accessed at any time through the app. The home exercise program is unique to the patient in terms of the actual exercises but also because it contains video of the patient doing the exercises themselves. During a visit, the patient is videoed completing the exercises with proper form, so it can be referenced when doing the home exercises in between sessions. I find it is more effective for a patient to see themselves doing the exercises versus confusing pictures or generic videos. 

No, the patient does not need a referral from a doctor to begin physical therapy in the state of New Jersey. A process called direct access to improve the time it takes to get better allows me to send a note to your doctor about our plan of care. Gone are the days your child needs to wait to see a doctor and then go to a physical therapist. Now we can start treatment the day of an injury, not weeks later.

I treat kids ages 6-21 so long as they are willing to try and have fun. I have treated a range of kids across various activity levels with very different end goals. I’ve seen everything from wanting to return to the monkey bars, to Division I college athletes, to professional athletes.

Sports are important and teach so many important life lessons, but injuries do happen. I treat all sports injuries and while I may have more knowledge in sports I personally played, I have treated most sports across my tenure. Many sports have similar movement patterns, ie running or rotation, that I am able to reference and apply to the patient’s treatment plan.

No. I offer packages that cannot be billed through insurance: Pre-season screening and Strike 3 Mechanics. See Services

I am available nights, weekends, before and after school, and yes during the middle of the day too! My goal is to work within your schedule to ensure your child is treated and returns to their sport or activity as quicky as possible. Appointment days/times are flexible to meet your schedule and can change week to week.

I offer home visits, making it convenient for you and your family! I travel to your home and work with your child in their environment. This model of physical therapy works for a variety of reason. Kids tend to be more relaxed in their home setting and it’s convenient for those patients just coming out of surgery that are not yet ready to leave the house. No need for a clean house, big space or equipment! All we need for a session is a clear space and potentially a yard or open space depending on the patient’s activity and the season. I bring all the necessary equipment. While an adult must be home for the visit, you are not required to watch the entire session.