Some of the most frequently asked questions we receive

No! Perhaps one of the lesser known facts that surprises some of our clients is that in California, no doctor's referral is needed to get started with physical therapy! In California, physical therapy is a provisional "direct access service" - meaning that we are able to get started right away without any referral from your primary care physician or primary doctor for up to 12 visits or 45 days (whichever occurs first). In the event that we need to go beyond that length, a visit with your primary care doctor may be needed to obtain the necessary signature on your plan of care so we can continue.

Here at Elevated, we are a direct access, "private pay" out-of-network provider for PPO insurance. Simply put, what this designation means is that our clients pay for their treatment at the time of service and are welcome to pay using cash, check, credit card, or with their FSA/HSA debit cards. We are sadly unable to work with Medicare or Medi-Cal beneficiaries due to current federal laws.

If you have a PPO insurance plan, we can provide the necessary paperwork to submit to your provider for reimbursement. Please let us know before your first appointment if you plan to submit your claim for reimbursement. We recommend that you check with your provider to confirm benefits and out of network coverage and cannot guarantee that you will receive reimbursement.

Chances are that if you've only ever been to a physical therapist as part of your insurance, you've experienced what many in the industry refer to as a "mill clinic."

Our approach to your care is wildly different than what a typical "mill clinic" in a hospital, large doctor's office, or urgent care facility typically provides. Rather than schedule you with 2, 3, or even 4 other folks at the same exact time, we spend our entire session time together one-on-one to make sure you are provided with the undivided care you rightfully expect and deserve. This means that you aren't left alone for 15-20 minutes at a time riding a bike or doing some exercises by yourself (that you're not even sure if you're doing them correctly!) but instead afforded the time to have an expert hand at all times while you're with us and can be sure you're doing everything correctly and safely.

Sadly, for many of our colleages that are faced with continually declining direct payments from insurance, they are saddled with the difficult decision of how many more people they need to add at the same time as you just so they can keep the lights on, pay the rent, and continue to fix equipment when it breaks. When you're sharing your therapist's time with 2 or 3 other people, your care is seriously compromised... and how is that fair to you?

By keeping our clients as exclusive one-on-one sessions, we are able to save them money in many cases it turns out. Instead of scheduling for 2 or even 3 times per week (with 2-3 other clients in the room) with the "old" approach, we are often able to schedule once a week instead. Often, the copay that you'd have to pay 3x per week is more than the cost of one weekly session - and we are often able to fix the issue faster than a "typical" insurance based clinic!

Stop by for your completely free, "no referral or paperwork required" Discovery Visit this week, or just come by for a coffee to discover the difference. We're confident that you'll see the difference in care immediately.

We always recommend wearing loose-fitting clothing that you’d be comfortable in at the gym! If we’re working on your shoulder, a tank top is the best choice. We may need to move your clothing to get a better look at your knee, low back, shoulder, etc., but it is very rare you’d ever have to remove any clothing.

If you’d like to bring your own water, you are more than welcome to, however, our lounge is stocked with many refreshments including water that you are welcome to enjoy at anytime during your visit.

Sometimes we do things that are hard to recreate at home without another person. If you’d like your family member, friend, spouse, sibling, or significant other to learn how to help you with something, they are absolutely welcome to join you for your session.

The short answer is - it depends! We always keep our clinic at a comfortable temperature (and if it doesn’t feel comfortable to you, we can adjust)! Depending on your main concerns, it may be helpful to see how you run and perform certain movements. We like to get your muscles working, and sometimes a little sweat is involved.

There are many different ways to feel pain or discomfort. Generally, we refer to these as two big groups we call: productive pain and non-productive pain. Productive pain may feel like soreness or slight muscle fatigue, and it doesn’t derail the rest of your day. Non-productive pain may feel like a sharp, stabbing, or shooting sensation, and that’s the kind of pain we want to avoid.

While you may feel a little discomfort by way of soreness or muscle fatigue the day of your treatment or the next, we never want to cause sharp pain. In fact, we want to break down the movements that are causing sensations beyond discomfort, so we can fix what’s going wrong. Recovery is never a linear process, but we never want to aggravate anything to the point that it doesn’t feel productive.

The short answer again: it depends! Every person has a unique situation that is different and may progress at a different pace. Some people have been living with their aches and pains for years, thus using compensatory strategies to move. Some people just started feeling their pain and want it gone now! Typically, the longer you’ve been dealing with something, the longer recovery may take. For shorter lengths of injury, aches, and pains, it depends on the extent of tissue damage. This is why we always recommend getting help as soon as possible. Many of our clients have tried to push through the pain for years, and if that sounds like you, know that you’re not alone and that we can start reverse years of damage, stiffness, and pain right away.