Therapy

Why did Melissa chose Physical Therapy?

November 17, 2020 – We all have reasons for why we do what we do for a living. These can include past experiences, a call to action, or just having something fall into place. For Melissa her reason for choosing to become a physical therapy assistant roots back to her past experiences.

What does Deductible, Co-Insurance, Out of Pocket, and Visit Limit mean?

November 3, 2020 – Sometimes it is hard to believe that it is November already. Other times 2020 has been so trying for so many people for so many reasons that it has felt like the longest year that they can remember. Regardless of how 2020 has felt to us it does not change the fact that for many of us our deductibles and insurance plans are getting ready to end on December 31 and then start back over on January 1. One of the most confusing parts of our healthcare system is how insurance plans work. There are different plans for each person from different insurance companies that cover healthcare costs at different rates. Even as a provider it can be tough to keep up with all the information. Let us cover some basics today.

First you must meet your DEDUCTIBLE. This is the amount that your insurance company sets forth in your insurance contract that must be paid before they will start to help to cover any healthcare costs. This amount tends to be from $500 to $5000 per year and even that amount can be different. How fast you can meet your deductible depends on how much you use your insurance coverage and how they will pay for your healthcare usage. Some plans pay by the day and some by the procedure. Often these amounts are set by the insurance company and not the healthcare provider, but you can always call and shop around for the best situation for your plan.

Once you have met your deductible then you start to look at your CO-INSURANCE. Your co-insurance is the first sign that your insurance company will start to pay for some of your medical expenses. You have met their contracted deductible amount and now they will start to help pay for some of your medical bills. Typically, your co-insurance will be 80%/20%. This means that they will pay 80% of the bill for your services and you will pay 20%. Both payments are directed at the provider that performed and billed for those services. Co-insurances can range from 90%/10% to 50%/50%.

Now that you are using your co-insurance you need to start to understand what your MAXIMUM OUT OF POCKET is. This tends to be double your deductible amount. No matter what the number is it is again set up by your insurance company. Once your have paid the amount equal to your maximum out of pocket then your insurance company will cover your healthcare costs at 100%. This means you will not owe any more for the rest of the year. Of course, this is only true if you still follow their rules. They will not pay for anything they normally do not cover.

When it comes to physical therapy, we also need to be aware of what your visit limit is for the year. If you use all your visits, then your insurance company will not pay for any extra costs no matter what your deductible or out of pocket met amount is. Physical therapy visits can be as little as 20 visits per year or as large as unlimited. Again, these limits are set by your insurance company.

At Witte Physical Therapy we want to make sure that you are aware of what your benefits are and what your costs may be. We will provide any education needed to our current, future, or perspective patients to make sure that you understand how your insurance works and how physical therapy will be processed by your insurance company. Please contact us at 402-234-3333 in Louisville or 402-298-4747 in Plattsmouth to get any of your insurance questions answered!

Why did Natosha Want to Become a PT?

October 26, 2020 – I am very fortunate to be part of a great team with a common goal. We all love physical therapy and helping our patients! Our number one goal is to get our patients back to 100% as efficiently as possible. Natosha is just one of our team members. She has extensive experience in pediatrics, orthopedics, and women’s health. This gives her the ability to treat many different types of patients across the age range. Let’s learn about Natosha and why she chose physical therapy.

“When I graduated high school, I thought I wanted to be a pharmacist.  That dream lasted until my first college chemistry class.  At that point, I took a step back and really thought about what I enjoyed and what I wanted to do for a job.   I have always been fascinated by how the body works.  Specifically with how to make the body work most effectively and efficiently.  That coupled with my desire to work in the health care field, but not give shots or draw blood, led me to physical therapy.  I spent a lot of time observing Physical Therapists, and one of my favorite things was that we get to work in so many settings!  Whether I was observing in a hospital with someone post stroke and working to get strong enough to get back home, or observing in an outpatient clinic with someone post rotator cuff surgery working to get back to work, or observing in a school setting with a school aged kiddo working to play on the playground at school independently, there was one thing in common with all these settings.  In each setting, it was a physical therapist helping those individuals to reach goals, using their own bodies and strength to meet their goals.  I love the fact that when I go to work, I will get to help people improve their own body’s efficiency.  Each patient I see has different goals.  Each patient I see will take a different path towards their progress.  That makes each day different and challenging for me, in the very best of ways!  So, while the short answer to “why did you become a physical therapist?” is actually because I didn’t really like chemistry!  The longer, more realistic answer, is because I love that my job, every day, is to help my patients reach their goals and get back to the things that matter to them!  My best days are hearing my patient retell a story of how they were able to do something meaningful in their life following our sessions!”

To have the change to work with Natosha or any other of our fabulous team members please call us at 402-234-3333 in Louisville or 402-298-4747 in Plattsmouth. If you are experiencing pain then why not take the first step towards being pain free!

Why Katie Became A Physical Therapist

October 20, 2020 – As physical therapists we all have chose this line of work for a variety of reasons. Some may be personal and others may not be. In this week’s blog we are going to meet Katie, one of our physical therapy assistants, and learn more about her and why she chose physical therapy.

Katie was born and raised in Grand Island, Nebraska. After graduating from Grand Island Senior High, Katie attended the University of Nebraska Omaha where she received her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science. After completing her Bachelor’s degree Katie then attended Clarkson College where she obtained her Associate of Science in Physical Therapist Assistant degree graduating Summa Cum Laude. Katie is a current member of the American Physical Therapy Association and the Nebraska Physical Therapy Association. Katie has been an employee of Witte Physical Therapy since 2016 and works primarily in our Louisville clinic. She has been an invaluable asset in the treatment of different patients across the age spectrum.

Katie writes:

I chose to be a physical therapist assistant to incorporate my interests of the human body, exercise and helping people as I get to experience all three each day. By being a physical therapist assistant I enjoy the direct daily patient care and relationships I form with various patient populations. Physical therapy means to me helping patients find ways through various techniques reach their personal goals whether big or small. Physical therapy offers many different specialties and healing pathways to cater to each patient and their particular needs. 

At Witte Physical Therapy we have a great team with a variety of different backgrounds and interests to treat the patient as effectively as possible. It is this team that allows us to treat each patient individually based on the patient’s needs. Katie’s outlook on why she chose physical therapy is present in all our team members leading to a patient first physical therapy experience!

Call us at 402-234-3333 in Louisville or 402-298-4747 in Plattsmouth to come in, meet us, and receive a free consultation!

Insurance vs Cash Pay, which is best?

October 13, 2020 – Often, we get the following question, “Does my insurance cover physical therapy”? I wish this were a simple answer, but unfortunately it cannot be. Many insurance companies offer multiple plans that result in many different answers to the above question.

United HealthCare does not provide the same coverage as Aetna. Blue Cross Blue Shield does not provide the same coverage as Medica. Medicare does not provide the same coverage as UHC AARP Medicare Advantage. This can be confusing for a patient to navigate. At Witte Physical Therapy we will work to provide you with the most complete answer we can get from your insurance company on your cost. This answer means that we will work to find out your deductible, out of pocket maximum, co-payment, co-insurance, and visit limits to put together your costs as best we can providing you the most complete information possible. Most of the time these costs are controlled and determined by your insurance plan and not by Witte Physical Therapy, but we can help you navigate what this means and what your options are.

If you do not have any insurance or your insurance coverage requires you to pay too much out of pocket you have the option of paying for therapy via cash pay. This means that you pay for your visit each time without submitting anything to your insurance company. Witte Physical Therapy offers competitive cash pay rates for our services and will work with you to understand what your options are and what is best for you.

Give us a call today in Louisville at 402-234-3333 or Plattsmouth at 402-298-4747 to learn how Witte Physical Therapy will give you the best bang for your buck!

October is Physical Therapy month!

October 6, 2020 – There are many celebrations that occur throughout the year. National Pizza Day, National Donut Day, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, etc. All these dates are especially important for their own reasons and should be given their fair share of attention. Another month that deserves some recognition is National Physical Therapy month. This occurs every October. In this month’s blog series, we are going to focus on National Physical Therapy month and what it means for Witte Physical Therapy.

At Witte Physical Therapy it has always been our goal to treat as many different issues, ages, and people as we efficiently as possible. We have worked hard to add staff that supplements our team and adds new experiences and expertise onto our staff. This allows us to have “big city expertise in a small-town clinic”. Our staff includes:

1. 1. Kayla Mammen: orthopedics, vestibular and balance
   2. Natosha Siemek PT, DPT: orthopedics, pediatrics, women’s, and pelvic health
   3. Christi Sieler, PT, DPT: orthopedics, vestibular, women’s health
   4. Dan Witte, PT, DPT, OCS: certified orthopedic specialist, functional dry needling, Graston, cardiovascular
   5. Katie Alvarado, PTA
   6. Melissa Schultze, PTA

This diverse staff allows us to work together to provide a team approach and treat most patient issues that come through our door. In addition to what is list above we also work with geriatric patients, post stroke and other neuromuscular patients. We can use aquatic therapy, cupping, and taping to help speed up your treatment plan.

We have worked hard to try to create an all-inclusive physical therapy clinic. We work with multiple school districts to provide educational opportunities for the local students. We provide free consultations to all our patients to help them navigate the best possible path for them through the healthcare system. We have also opened Witte 24/7 Wellness as another avenue for patients to continue with the rehab after therapy or for the public to have 24/7 access to a fully equipped fitness facility.

If you have any questions that pertain to physical therapy, free consultations, or Witte 24/7 Wellness please all us at 402-234-3333 or 402-298-4747!

Do You Have A Pain Diary?

September 22, 2020 – We have reviewed in September a lot of different informational topics about pain. We have learned the different types and what it is. We have learned some strategies to help manage it. Next, we need to learn how to track and understand our own pain. This is especially important when we are having pain some days and not others. A pain diary can help you and your healthcare provider have a better understanding of what things are causing issues for you.

What to put in our pain diary?

1. We want to keep track of when our pain occurs and at what intensity. Often a scale of 0 to 10 is used. A score of “0” is no pain and a score of “10” is so much pain you feel like you need to go to the ER.
2. We want to track what type of pain we are feeling. Burning, sharp, throbbing, stabbing, etc, are all descriptive words you can use.
3. We want to track what our emotions are at the time of our pain.
4. We want to track how long the pain lasts.
5. We want to track what makes the pain better. These are non-medication pain improvers such as position, ice, heat, etc.
6. We want to track if we take any pain medication for our pain. Then we want to track what our pain level is at 60 minutes after we have taken the medication.
7.  

Once we have several, incredibly detailed entries in our pain diary we want to share that information with our medical providers. This can be extremely useful in figuring out what method of treatment we will start with in order to help you manage, improve, and hopefully eliminate your pain.

If you are in pain, follow these simple steps. First, start to record a pain diary. Second, call us in Louisville at 402-234-3333 or in Plattsmouth at 402-298-4747 to set up a free consultation to discuss your pain and your pain diary. Let us help you find the next step to help you alleviate your pain as efficiently as possible!

References:

1. https://www.everydayhealth.com/pain-management/keeping-a-diary-can-help-you-manage-pain.aspx#:~:text=A%20pain%20diary%20or%20journal,better%20help%20you%20manage%20pain.&text=Keeping%20a%20diary%20can%20help%20uncover%3A,Important%20changes%20in%20your%20condition
2. https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/aftercareinformation/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=abk1346

Biggest Mistakes You Can Make When You Are In Pain

September 8, 2020 – Last week we learned about what pain is and what are some of the different types. Now that we understand those items, we can begin to look at how to deal with pain. There are some misconceptions about how we should deal with pain. Today we will look at those misconceptions and work to get a better understanding of a positive way to deal with pain.

Here are some common mistakes:

1. Thinking it will go away: Trying to give it some time to get better or self-treating with over the counter pain meds can make it worse. If you pain is not improving in a few days or does not completely improve in a few weeks, then get in to see someone. This could be your primary care physician, a specialist, or a therapist. Often the sooner you start treatment after the pain starts the quicker it will heal.
2. Avoiding exercise: Often bed rest is the worst thing you can do for pain. Starting to get moving can be the first step to helping to alleviate the pain. This could be some simple stretches or going for a short walk. If you are afraid you could make it worse consult your physician or therapist for their advice and recommendations on how to start to increase your activity.
3. I need surgery now: Surgery is not the cure all answer for every problem. Often surgery brings in more risks, such as infection, complications, or just being ineffective. An ineffective surgery still requires healing time and now you are trying to work on more than one problem. Often, insurance will require more conservative treatments prior to approving surgery. Use prescribed medications, therapy treatments, and DME products prior to seeking surgery.
4. You do not talk about being depressed: Pain can cause depression. Pain that is present daily affects our lives constantly. If you are adjusting what and how you do things daily due to pain, avoiding social events due to pain, or just staying in more due to pain, all these issues can cause depression. It is normal to be depressed and it does not mean it is permanent. Talk to your physician, friends, or spouse about how you are feeling.

Recognizing these mistakes can help you understand how you are feeling about your pain and how it is affecting you. Now that you have a better understanding of what pain is, what types of pain there are, and how you can avoid making mistakes due to your pain you can begin to work on making your pain better. Starting next week, we are going to explore some options for improving you pain.

If you are having pain and feel like these are some of mistakes you are making please call us at 402-234-3333 in Louisville or 402-298-4747 in Plattsmouth to set up a free, no obligation consultation to discuss your pain. Let us help you get on the right track for your needs!

References

1. https://www.today.com/health/7-big-mistakes-make-pain-worse-1C9402310

Are you in pain?

September 1, 2020 – Unfortunately, at some point in our lives we are going to experience pain. It could be pain from a loss, pain due to an injury, or several other types of causes. We need to understand what pain is and where it is coming from to treat it and help it get better.

There are 3 basic types of pain: nociceptive, neuropathic, and “other”.

1. 1. Nociceptive: This type of pain is the most common type. You feel it with strains, bug bites, stubbing your toe, etc. This type of pain can change with positions, movements, or loads.
   2. Neuropathic: This type of pain comes from damage to the nervous system. This type of pain can include sciatica, MS, alcoholism, etc.
   3. Other: The other type of pain can be a result of the combination of the first two types or be something completely different, such as fibromyalgia.

There are other ways to try to classify pain. These include:

1. 1. Acute: New and sometimes sudden pain.
   2. Chronic: Pain that has been around for a while. Most likely comes from chronic pain.
   3. Breakthrough: Sharp bouts of new pain that can happen with certain movements, activities, or as pain killers are not as effective.
   4. Nerve: Caused by damage or stress to a nerve. Often feels like a zinger, burning, or achy pain that is not relieved with normal pain meds.
   5. Referred: Often caused by an internal organ or other non-musculoskeletal structure that gives us the sensation of the pain happening in a different area of the body.
   6. Phantom: Occurs when our brain feels pain in a part of the body that has been removed.

Having a better understanding of what pain is, where it is coming from, and how it is affecting you can make it easier to treat. At Witte Physical Therapy we know all pain is different and affects everyone differently. We will work hard to understand how your pain affects you and then build a program that is specific to you to help you improve your pain as quickly as possible. Call us in Louisville at 402-234-3333 or Plattsmouth at 402-298-4747 to schedule your free consultation today and let us help you get on the road to being pain free!

References

1. https://www.painscience.com/articles/pain-types.php
2. https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/pain
3.  

Sit Up Straight!

August 18, 2020 – We have spoke about posture several times before. Its role in shoulder pain, its role in how your child carries their backpack, and today its role in their attentiveness at school.

Good posture leads to a decrease chance of injury and less energy being spent on muscles and joints that must be supported differently in a bad position. Good posture leads to an environment that makes it easier for them to see the front of the classroom, hear the teacher, and focus on what they should be focusing on.

How can parents and teachers make sure that good posture is maintained throughout the day? Feet should be flat on the floor and hands and elbows resting comfortable on the desk without affecting shoulder height. Children should be given breaks throughout the day to get up and move. During floor time allow the children to lay on their stomachs with the heads in their hands propped up by their elbows. This allows for an extension biased posture instead of the flexion biased posture they are kept in at their desks all day. Posture checks should be done quarterly as kids will grow throughout the year.

If your child continues to have pain or issues with their posture call us at 402-234-3333 in Louisville or 402-298-4747 in Plattsmouth to schedule a free consultation to get them back on the right path to success in the classroom.

References

https://blog.neolms.com/students-posture-affect-learning-outcomes/

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Graphic-design-of-correct-or-incorrected-posture-at-the-school-desk-A-Correct-posture_fig2_283711053