Last month, Texas became the 49th state to allow patients direct access to physical therapy.
The Texas Legislature passed HB 29 by Rep. Ina Minjarez (D-San Antonio), which allows Texans to seek physical therapy treatment they need without the delay and expense of having to see another health care provider first. People can now go directly to their physical therapist and be treated for up to 10 business days (15 in some cases).
“Research has been validating the positive impact of choosing a physical therapist first,” said Dr. Meredith Tittle, owner and president of S2s Functional Performance, a physical therapy clinic in Flower Mound. “I am grateful to have legislative and corporate support in helping change the healthcare crisis in America as well as educating the public about safer and more effective ways to treat their pain.”
Choosing a physical therapist first helps improve other’s mobility, their ability to manage pain and other chronic conditions, recover from acute injuries, as well as prevent all of the above, according to Tittle.
“By seeing the most appropriate healthcare provider first, patients can more quickly get back to their best life which most often means even better than before,” Tittle said, adding that physical therapy can help people not only restoratively but also preventatively.
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