Finding a physical therapist who works with bone

This page is free and it asks for nothing. It exists because being told "see a physical therapist" is easy, and actually finding the right one is not. Here is how to do it in one afternoon.

What you are looking for

Not every physical therapist works with thinning bone, and that is fine. You are looking for one who does. The words that matter when you search or ask:

• "Osteoporosis" or "low bone density"
• "Fracture recovery" if a bone has already broken
• "Geriatric" or "orthopedic" as a specialty

A therapist who is board certified in geriatric or orthopedic physical therapy has passed extra exams in exactly this territory. The letters to look for after their name are GCS or OCS.

Where to look

Start at choosept.com. That is the American Physical Therapy Association's own directory. Put in your zip code, then filter by specialty. It is free and it does not sign you up for anything.

Ask where you got your scan. The facility that did your DEXA refers people every week. Call and ask which physical therapy clinics they send people with low scores to.

Ask your insurer. The member line on the back of your card can list in-network physical therapists near you. Ask them to search by specialty, not just by distance.

Call a hospital. Most hospital systems run outpatient physical therapy clinics, and those clinics see post-fracture patients all the time.

The five questions to ask on the phone

You are allowed to interview them. A good clinic expects it. Ask:

1. "Do you regularly treat women with osteoporosis or low bone density?"
2. "Has the therapist worked with spinal fractures?" (Only if that is you.)
3. "Will I see the same therapist each visit?"
4. "What does the first visit involve, and how long is it?"
5. "What will it cost with my insurance, and can you check before I come in?"

If the person on the phone cannot answer the first question with a plain yes, call the next one on your list. That is not rude. That is shopping.

Booking without a referral

In most states you can book a physical therapy evaluation directly, without a referral. Some states put limits on how long treatment can run before a doctor signs off. The clinic deals with this every day, so ask them: "Do I need a referral in this state, and will you handle it if I do?"

What it costs, plainly

A session usually runs somewhere between $75 and $250 depending on where you live and whether the clinic is in your network. Medicare Part B usually covers outpatient physical therapy that a clinician says is medically necessary, after the deductible, with a share paid by you. Ask the clinic to check your exact coverage before the first visit. They can, and the good ones offer to.

Take the briefing with you

The Doctor Briefing on this site is written to be handed across a desk. It says exactly what the program you were looking at does and does not do, with the citations on it. Print it and bring it to your first appointment, so the conversation starts specific instead of vague.

One last thing. If you were sent here by the checkout, you were refused for a reason that deserves a person with a license and their hands on you. That is not a smaller version of help. It is the better version, for exactly where you are now.