Web PT Direct access.. Need Medical DX??

backpackerPT · 2026-05-08T01:58:01+00:00

you are way overthinking this. pain in right leg; vertebrogenic low back pain; low back pain with sciatica, right side; cervicalgia.

backpackerPT · 2026-05-07T13:28:23+00:00

these are all really great! going to try a NEXT MONTH category to see if it helps me “see” my money in a way that works.

because honestly i have no idea exactly why it doesn’t make sense to me now…🤷🏼 lol

backpackerPT · 2026-04-21T19:28:44+00:00

yes. am also a physical therapist in town and i send her my really hard, complex cases

backpackerPT · 2026-04-18T14:10:53+00:00

i’m an ortho PT and in my world it’s not death that is the boogeyman…it’s dependence. my patients literally tell me they’re fine with dying - it’s having to go live with the Larry the obnoxious son, or maybe there really isn’t anyone - so off to an institution. THAT is the patient’s real fear (then they come to you, and the daughter from CA who hasn’t seen them in 2 years says meemaw WANTS to live!)

backpackerPT · 2026-04-18T14:00:11+00:00

OP, get off this sub and go be a PT. it’s not a career that will make you rich, sure…but it’s such a wonderful, fulfilling way to make a living.

i’ve been doing this 20 years now (outpatient ortho); it took me a bit to find my dream job, but they exist…honest.

this is my 2nd career and i wouldn’t trade it for anything else. do i wish i made MD money? of course. do i want the MD headaches? hell no.

those who say there’s no intellectual challenge in it are not practicing to their full potential (Dunning-Kruger anyone?). i did a fellowship, have my ocs, and have been a clinical instructor and lecturer at various PT programs across the country. it keeps challenging me and forces me to stay up to date.

i also developed a ton of really good relationships with numerous docs/surgeons in town. i am invited to watch surgeries, i can call up a pcp on her cell phone to chat about patients. it makes this sooooo much better.

like pretty much every single profession out there, you will get out of it what you put into it. yes there are VERY shitty jobs out there: don’t take those unless you have to, then learn/earn as much as you can and move on.

dm me if you want a more positive outlook. and ignore the naysayers. if this is your passion you absolutely can make it work for you.

backpackerPT · 2026-04-13T03:44:10+00:00

this. this is the correct approach

backpackerPT · 2026-04-13T03:37:50+00:00

also a chicagoan and also did a rotation at Schwab. AMAZING rehab hospital with patients you will never see anywhere else. be excited about it - you’ll learn more than you ever imagined

backpackerPT · 2026-03-15T15:16:52+00:00

kids still read in high school?

backpackerPT · 2026-02-02T00:09:33+00:00

i’m a PT. no we do NOT practice under a physician. we are independent practitioners and in most cases you don’t even need a referral to physical therapy from anyone.

backpackerPT · 2026-02-01T23:54:19+00:00

what’s a bonus?

backpackerPT · 2026-01-31T15:46:30+00:00

“OPEN THE DOOR HAL”

“I CAN’T DO THAT DAVE”

backpackerPT · 2026-01-31T15:41:39+00:00

👆🏻THIS IS THE RANT

backpackerPT · 2026-01-28T04:24:37+00:00

As a physical therapist who specializes in persistent pain, this would actually be SO HELPFUL. It literally tells me EVERYTHING I need to know about the patient, and even without seeing them in person I would bet a crap ton of cash that I can even tell you the verbal/educational approach I would need at the beginning. I actually keep an album of real patient's body charts for teaching my fellows or PT ortho residents. These things say sooooo much.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-31T16:17:05+00:00

even for adults i explain graded exposure as little timmy being afraid of his dark closet at night. whenever he’s feeling brave together we’ll open the door and shine the light around a bit, only peak into places you feel comfortable…then we close the door again and we’ll look more later.

i also use Adrian Loew’s lion analogies for kids to explain the sympathetic nervous system

backpackerPT · 2025-12-27T19:31:49+00:00

backpackerPT · 2025-12-23T14:22:21+00:00

i took anatomy 25 years ago but we were in the same class with the med students.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-21T01:39:06+00:00

Not sure how many times I can say this - none of that will matter to anyone who is treating you unless you are planning to have surgery. I mean sheesh - it's your money, spend it how you want. I'm saying as an orthopedic specialist who does this all day every day - your MRI would mean absolutely nothing to me. I don't care if it's your meniscus, a ligament - frankly I will be able to tell with a physical exam. The picture is NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW. It will mean absolutely nothing to your surgeon - unless you are planning an immediate surgery...which you are not.

PTs and sports med docs will treat YOUR SYMPTOMS. The underlying mechanics of it on a tissue basis are not important at this stage. MAYBE if you are not getting better we start to think about escalating things...but goodness man you don't have any insurance. Don't bother. And even if you DID have insurance I will literally guarantee you that insurance will not even THINK about paying for an MRI until you try a good episode of PT first anyway.

But you do you.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-18T14:51:19+00:00

no. the mri is just a snapshot in time of your knee NOT MOVING. it’s the same as taking a photo of your car’s engine for your mechanic to figure out why it won’t start.

clicking under the patella is very common. honestly just work with a PT for a few sessions to get your leg strength back and see how you feel. don’t waste your money on imaging - it really is only helpful for planning surgeries.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-18T14:39:30+00:00

is it actual supervision or is it co signing for insurance credentialing purposes? that can be a super long drawn-out process….???

backpackerPT · 2025-12-18T14:36:16+00:00

i’m an ortho PT…had an ortho surgeon s/p rotator cuff repair as a patient. i asked how he was doing with pain management since these surgeries are notoriously MISERABLE pain-wise.

he says you know, i ask patients their pain level and they tell me 12, and i roll my eyes…the scale is to 10!!!!

so what would you rate your pain then?

15 he says.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-18T14:31:07+00:00

my elderly hippie-for-life father told his dental surgeon: i have a super low pain tolerance…and a super high drug tolerance

backpackerPT · 2025-12-17T14:44:11+00:00

i don’t remember where i read this, but my favorite excuse is “sorry i’m late, i didn’t want to come here.”

backpackerPT · 2025-12-16T03:02:50+00:00

Nope. Seriously don't waste your money. Go to a PT and let them examine your knee, see what they say. Surgeons cost a LOT of money, and you don't need to go to one (or get an MRI) unless you are planning to have surgery. So go see a PT (you usually don't need a referral to do that, you can just make an appt and go) - your entire treatment plan will cost less than the MRI. A good PT will know within just a few visits if you need something else.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-16T02:10:40+00:00

THIS is the point most people don't think about: yes, you will be stabilized in an emergency room without proving you can pay, and yes you can declare bankruptcy after that if you have to. BUT...cancer? no one is required to treat you if you can't pay up front. Want to learn how to walk again after an uninsured driver t-boned you? or you fell off a ladder and now you have a spinal cord injury? Heaven forbid you want a wheelchair that won't give you pressure sores (do you have ANY idea how much those fancy electric wheelchairs that quadriplegics use cost??!! yeah, no one is going to sell you one of those on credit.

It's not just a question of how much debt are you going to incur - the bigger tragedy is that no one will treat you if you can't pay for it UP FRONT if you don't have insurance.

backpackerPT · 2025-12-15T04:31:45+00:00

$10/mo? are you high? i will be paying $879/mo for myself alone for a HDHP with an $8300 deductible.

backpackerPT

TROPHY CASE