Your first visit will last approximately 1 hour.  Please wear loose fitting clothing such as tank top and shorts, baggy t-shirt, or sweat pants without elastic bottoms.  Your doctor of physical therapy will need to have access to the body part being examined. 

      The evaluation will be thorough and begin by discussing your medical history, onset of the problem, and your lifestyle patterns including sleeping habits and workstation setup.  Please also know the names of the medications you are currently taking.  Also remember to have x-ray or MRI films with you if you've had them recently.

     The next portion of the exam will include posture and movement assessment, special tests, and palpation of specific structures related to your complaint in an effort to determine the root cause of the problem.

     After that, your doctor of physical therapy will discuss with you what the problem is and describe the process by which the two of you will go about treating the cause of the problem, not just the symptoms.