Question 1

What is physical therapy and how can it help me?

Accepted Answer

Physical therapy is a conservative healthcare specialty that helps people restore movement, reduce pain, and improve strength, balance, and overall function. Whether you’re recovering from an injury, surgery, or dealing with chronic pain, a physical therapist designs a personalized treatment plan to help you move better and feel stronger. In short, physical therapy helps you move better, feel better, and get back to doing what you love.

Question 2

How long are your appointments?

Accepted Answer

Appointments are a little less than an hour long to leave the provider time to clean up and transition for the following patient

Question 3

What should I expect during my first visit?

Accepted Answer

During your first visit, we will discuss your current limitations and your goals for physical therapy. We will take measurements of strength, range of motion and perform specific tests dependent on your reasoning for treatment. You will always leave with at least one exercise you can perform at home until your next visit.

Question 4

What does an established patient appointment look like?

Accepted Answer

I typically like to spend half the appointment with manual treatment and the other half going over exercises picked specifically for your condition.

Question 5

What should I wear to my appointments?

Accepted Answer

In physical therapy we are all about movement! So wear something you would wear to exercise in.

Question 6

How many sessions will I need?

Accepted Answer

This is completely dependent on your current condition, reason for coming to physical therapy and compliance to performing exercises at home. That being said, I’ve had patients resolve symptoms in 3 sessions and others who I have seen for a few months.

Chronic pain patients tend to be seen off and on for years. My patients seeing me for pregnancy usually see me throughout their entire pregnancy and afterwards for post-partum care. Again, there are a lot of factors that go into each patient’s timeline.

Question 7

Do I need a doctor’s referral to start physical therapy?

Accepted Answer

Washington is what you’d call a “Direct Access” state meaning a referral is not required to receive physical therapy treatment. However, most insurance companies will not cover PT services without one. Therefore, at Kindred if you would like your insurance to be billed for your treatment, we require a referral.

Question 8

Do you accept my insurance?

Accepted Answer

- We are currently working to be contracted with the following insurance companies and will send updates to our mailing list when contracts are solidified.

- Insurances we are working to contract with;
Kaiser
Premera Blue Cross
Tricare West
Aetna Healthcare
Medicare
Cigna

Question 9

Do you offer self pay options?

Accepted Answer

Yes! For those who would prefer self-pay or whose insurance we are not contracted with check out our pricing section for more information

Question 10

What is your cancellation policy?

Accepted Answer

If you need to reschedule your appointment, please notify us immediately. If you need to cancel or reschedule within 24 hours of your appointment, the first time there will be no fee, however any further late cancellations will be charged $50 to your card on file. A $50 late fee will be applied to any no call, no show appointments. Thank you for your understanding. We are a small business looking forward to serving our community for years to come!

Question 11

What sets Kindred Physical Therapy apart from other PT clinics?

Accepted Answer

Kindred physical therapy was created partially out of frustration with our current medical system. Too often patients are placed in cookie cutter programs in “fast-food” clinics that do not have enough time to listen to patients' individual needs or allow patients to feel seen.

Kindred is different. Starting with our hour-long appointments, this gives us ample time to cover all of your concerns and build connections that do not always happen in short visits. It allows time for both manual treatment and detail oriented programming. The reason I chose to name my clinic Kindred is because I value quality care and making patients feel listened to and important, above all else. Physical therapy is beyond the treatment plans, it is personal. And my goal, as well as returning patients to doing what they love, is to make patients feel like they are coming to see an old friend, someone who cares for them like they’re a part of the family.

Question 12

Do you offer telehealth or virtual appointments?

Accepted Answer

Yes! While in person is preferred, we do offer telehealth visits upon request. However, you must be able to participate in the full session. These are not used as an option to get out of paying a no-show fee. Virtual visits can also be helpful for those who live in other parts of the state seeking pelvic floor treatment.

Question 13

Do you have any specialties?

Accepted Answer

Yes! I specialize in pelvic floor treatment including pregnancy and post-partum.

Question 14

Do you treat pelvic floor patients outside of the Spokane area?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Telehealth is a great option for those who do not live locally and are seeking pelvic floor therapy. Due to the laws surrounding state licensure, I can only treat patients who live in the state of Washington.

Question 15

What continuing education have you taken to treat pelvic floor?

Accepted Answer

At this point in my career, I have taken Herman and Wallace’s Pelvic Function Level 1 course and a Pregnancy and Post-partum Exercise Certification course from Sarah Duvall

Question 16

What should I expect from a pelvic floor treatment?

Accepted Answer

Your first visit is similar to an orthopedic initial treatment.

Question 17

Do I have to have an internal exam to be a pelvic floor patient?

Accepted Answer

No. While they are very helpful to diagnose symptoms, I have successfully treated many patients who are uncomfortable with the internal exam. I never want anyone to feel uncomfortable and if the internal exam is not for you, there are still so many helpful tools you can learn from pelvic floor PT.

Question 18

Why is it important to have physical therapy after or during pregnancy?

Accepted Answer

Oh man. Let me get out my soapbox! One of the greatest things being a pelvic floor PT has given me is the ability to close the gap in women’s health care between post-partum follow-ups and going back to participating in previous activities or exercise. There are way too many things women are not assessed for post-partum (i.e C-section scar tissue, lingering diastasis, rib flares) or told to be aware of (hello prolapse!) at their 6 week check-up. At your first post-partum visit we will look at all of these things and create a plan for you to get back to doing what you love. Your body has done an amazing thing and you deserve guidance and mentorship on how to recover safely.

As far as pregnancy, (pulls out second soapbox…) the amount of times I see women getting referred to PT only when they are at 32 weeks with an exuberant amount of pain is upsetting. My opinion is, why are we waiting to refer pregnant women until they are already in pain or peeing their pants? Why not attend physical therapy throughout pregnancy and possibly avoid those symptoms altogether? In PT for pregnancy you will learn how to strengthen your body to avoid common pregnancy pains, prepare your pelvis for labor and learn post-partum care instructions that  you don’t always get at the hospital. It’s also proven that being active during pregnancy can maintain a healthy baby weight at delivery, decrease risk of gestational diabetes and improve pelvic floor symptoms postpartum. I mean, sounds pretty great to me!

Question 19

Do you only treat pelvic floor conditions?

Accepted Answer

No! We treat all orthopedic conditions including post-operational care. See our “What We Treat” section for a full list of conditions

Frequently Asked Questions