Your First Visit
TO PERFECT STRIDE PHYSICAL THERAPY
We’ve answered common questions about a first time visit. If your question isn’t answered below feel free to call us to discuss any concerns you have about your first visit. Thank you for choosing us and trusting us with your health and wellness.
Prepare for Your Visit with Our Intake Forms
Upon scheduling your appointment you will receive an email that will include a link to securely complete our digital intake forms. If you prefer to complete the forms by hand you can click the button below to download and print our intake forms. If you get a chance to fill these out before your initial visit, you can send them to us or bring them to your first appointment. If not, we ask that you show up about 15 minutes prior to your appointment time in order to complete this required paperwork before your scheduled appointment.
Perfect stride physical therapy Frequently Asked Questions
What is involved in an initial physical therapy examination?
It all starts with the initial evaluation, which generally takes about 1 hour. Here the physical therapist will take a ‘subjective’ history in which questions are asked to find out what brings you in to see us.We pride ourselves on spending quality one-on-one time with you to ensure that your entire story is heard. An initial examination at Perfect Stride involves having a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy thoroughly examine you and everything pertaining to what brings you in to see us. We dig deep into your past as well as your daily routine: your sleep, stress level, nutrition, physical activity, work day and future goals. The next step will be an ‘objective’ physical evaluation, we will perform orthopedic and neurological tests to better help understand the nature of the injury. Being movement experts we will also watch you move to better understand your motor control, and movement patterns. During this portion of the evaluation we will be taking baseline measurements for strength, stability, mobility, motor control and joint mobility in order to understand how we are progressing through your course of care.
What should I bring to my first physical therapy appointment?
The first time you come to Perfect Stride, you will need to bring your picture I.D. , insurance card, and any prescription for treatment from your physician that you may have. If it applies to you, a worker compensation claim number or contact person.
How long does a physical therapy session last?
Plan on about spending about 1 hour for your initial visit. Please arrive 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork or you can fill it out prior to your appointment by downloading the PDF forms below. If possible consider completing these forms prior to your initial visit, just click to open and download these PDF files.
What should I wear to my physical therapy appointments?
You should wear comfortable athletic clothing that does not restrict movement. Also be mindful that your therapist may need to access to the area that is being treated to analyze your movement and to perform various manual therapy treatments.
How often will I need physical therapy
Your schedule or the frequency of your physical therapy sessions is something we can determine only after your initial evaluation – as this varies from patient to patient.
What is the “No Surprise Act”?
Under the new law, health care providers are required to provide a good faith estimate of expected charges for medical items and services to patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance both orally and in writing, upon request or at the time of scheduling health care items and services. The good faith estimate is not a contract and does not require the patient to obtain the services or items from any of the providers or facilities identified in it.
Do you accept HSA/FSA?
Yes, Perfect Stride does accept HSA/FSA as forms of payment for visits. Such accounts can be used for approved medical expenses and in some cases even services such as personal training. Please consult your HSA/FSA administrator for limitations and requirements for utilizing these funds. We can provide you with detailed receipts which may need to be submitted to your HSA/FSA account to verify charges.
I am not really an athlete, are you still able to help me?
We most definitely can help you. We are trained and experienced in treating anyone who is experiencing pain, mobility deficits, recovering from a surgery or loss of function.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept checks, cash, Discover, American Express, Visa, and MasterCard, as well as payments from your health savings accounts (HSA), PayPal along with Zelle as forms of payment.
Do I need a doctor's prescription?
No, New York State Law states that individuals have the right to direct access to physical therapy without a physician’s prescription for 10 visits or within a 30 day period. After that, a physician order is required. We will also check with your insurance provider to verify that they participate in New York State Direct Access to Physical Therapy.
What if I can't make my appointment?
Please call our office to reschedule at 917-494-4284. We ask that you give us at least 24 hours notice in advance of your appointment time so that we may schedule another patient in your time slot. As we only see appointments one on one, if you cancel without adequate notice, the time slot will remain empty. Be mindful if you do not call to cancel your appointment with at least 24 hour notice and do not arrive for your appointment you will be charged a $100.00 cancellation fee.
How do I get to Perfect Stride?
We’re at 32 Union Square E Suite #215, New York, NY 10003. To get to Union Square by subway, Take the 4, 5, 6, N, W, R, Q or L train to 14th Street and you will be right in the center of Union Square. By bus, Seven bus lines serve the neighborhood, the M1, M2, M3, M7, M9 and M14. By the PATH train, Take the PATH Train to 14th Street (at 6th Avenue); walk two blocks east to Union Square. Union Square is bordered by 16th Street, University Place, Fifth Avenue, 14th Street. Broadway also runs around it, coming in at the northwest corner and going around to the southeast corner.
My doctor is referring me to physical therapy. Can I choose where I go?
Yes. Your doctor will give you a prescription for physical therapy and may even suggest where to attend physical therapy. However, you have the right to choose where to go for your physical therapy needs based on convenience of location, transportation, the clinic’s experience in working with your specific diagnosis or needs – or any other parameter you choose. The therapists here at Perfect Stride will always work with your doctor in order to provide you with the highest quality care and the best possible outcomes.
Do I always see the same Physical Therapist?
Yes, unlike other clinics where you may be passed around amongst numerous therapists we like to keep you with the same therapist as this helps to provide continuity with your care. Your therapist will know where you are coming from, how you have been responding to treatment, what the plan is for your upcoming sessions, your goals, your home exercises and most importantly they will know YOU best. Occasionally due to scheduling conflicts you may be seen by another therapist, however, we say it isn’t bad to have another set of eyes on you every so often as they may be able to provide some extra benefit to your treatment as well.
THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING
PERFECT STRIDE
At Perfect Stride we have been working since 2012 to help the people of NYC and beyond move and feel better than ever without pain medications or surgery. We pride ourselves on being able to take the time to clearly show you the nature of your problem and answer all questions in easy to understand language.
We believe that education is empowerment. The more informed you are about your your treatment, the better you are able to deal with your problem, which leads to more successful outcomes. We look forward to serving your physical therapy needs and are pleased to answer any further questions that you may have about your first visit.
Thank you for choosing us and trusting us with you health and movement related needs.