Patient Info

Understanding what to expect helps you feel more comfortable and confident when starting care. At IMPACT Physical Therapy & Sports Recovery, we focus on clear communication, personalized attention, and a smooth experience from your first visit forward. This page outlines what to expect during your initial appointment and provides helpful information about forms, direct access, insurance, and referrals so you can arrive prepared and focused on your goals across Illinois.

What to Expect at Your First Visit

If you’re considering scheduling an appointment, you may be wondering what to expect at a physical therapy appointment. The professionals at IMPACT Physical Therapy & Sports Recovery strive to make everyone comfortable during their first physical therapy visit. Below, we outline what to expect at a physical therapy appointment and what our licensed physical therapists do. Review the information, and then feel free to contact us with questions.

What is Physical Therapy?

Physical therapists are highly educated, licensed health care professionals who help patients improve or restore mobility, and in many cases help patients reduce pain, and avoid the need for surgery and the long-term use of prescription medications and their side effects. Physical therapists examine, evaluate, and treat patients whose conditions limit their ability to move and function in daily life. Your physical therapist’s overall goal is to maintain, restore, or improve your mobility and help reduce your pain. Whether this is your first visit or you’ve been treated by a physical therapist in the past, there are things you can do to make your visit as successful as possible.

When Should I Arrive?

Please arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time in order to complete all the necessary paperwork. To save time, please complete the new patient forms and bring them with you the first visit. This will get you started even faster.

What to Expect At a Physical Therapy First Visit

Your IMPACT physical therapist will begin by asking you questions about your health and about the specific condition for which you are seeing the physical therapist. Detailed information about you and your condition will help the physical therapist determine whether you are likely to benefit from physical therapy and which treatments are most likely to help you.

• Make a note of any important personal information, including any recent stressful events, injuries, incidents, or environmental factors that you believe might have contributed to your condition.
• Make a list of any medical conditions of your parents or siblings.
• Make sure you can see and hear as well as possible. If you wear glasses, take them with you. If you use a hearing aid, make certain that it is working well, and wear it. Tell your IMPACT physical therapist and clinic staff if you have a hard time seeing or hearing.
• If available, bring any lab, diagnostic, or medical reports from other health care professionals that may be related to your medical history or who have treated you for your current condition.
• Bring a list of the names of your physician and other health care professionals that you would like your IMPACT physical therapist to contact regarding your evaluation and your progress.
• We will review your insurance coverage with you. 
• Applicable deductibles and copayments will be requested prior to or upon completion of each appointment. It is important to pay the proper amounts at the time of service. This will help you to better manage your health care costs and avoid a large bill at the end of care.
• If the frequency of visits needs to be adjusted for financial reasons, discuss this directly with your IMPACT physical therapist. In partnership with your physical therapist, you can explore alternatives and develop a workable plan.
• Your IMPACT physical therapist will perform a detailed examination. Depending on your symptoms and condition, the physical therapist might evaluate your strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, posture, blood pressure, and heart and respiration rates.
• Your IMPACT physical therapist might use his or her hands to examine or “palpate” the affected area or to perform a detailed examination of the mobility of your joints, muscles, and other tissues.
• Your IMPACT physical therapist might ask you specific questions about your home or work environment, your health habits and activity level, and your leisure and recreational interests so that the physical therapist can help you become as active and independent as possible.
• Your IMPACT physical therapist will work with you to determine your goals for physical therapy and will begin to develop a plan for your treatment. The physical therapist will make a diagnosis and begin treatment immediately.
• Your IMPACT physical therapist might teach you special exercises to do at home. You might learn new and different ways to perform your activities at work and home. These new techniques can help minimize pain, lessen strain, avoid re-injury, and speed your recovery.
• Your IMPACT physical therapist will communicate the important information from your examination to your physician and to other health care professionals at your request.

Physical Therapy Evaluation and Treatment Planning

Your physical therapist will perform a detailed examination. Depending on your condition, this may include assessment of strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, posture, blood pressure, and heart and respiratory rates.

Hands-on assessment may be used to examine joint mobility, muscle function, and soft tissue movement. Your physical therapist may also ask questions about your work environment, home activities, exercise habits, and recreational interests to help support safe and independent movement.

Based on the evaluation, your physical therapist will work with you to establish goals and develop a personalized plan of care. In many cases, treatment begins during the first visit.

You may be taught exercises to perform at home and strategies for modifying daily activities at work or home. These techniques help reduce strain, minimize pain, prevent reinjury, and support recovery.

With your permission, your physical therapist can communicate relevant findings and progress updates to your physician or other health care providers involved in your care.

Patient Info and Forms

Completing patient forms ahead of time helps streamline your first visit and allows your physical therapist to focus on care rather than paperwork. Forms typically include health history, current symptoms, medications, and insurance information. Providing accurate details supports a more thorough evaluation and safer treatment planning.

If you have questions while completing forms, our team is happy to help. Bringing completed paperwork, your insurance card, and a photo ID helps ensure your visit starts on time. Clear communication and preparation allow your care team at IMPACT Physical Therapy & Sports Recovery to deliver focused, personalized treatment from day one.

Patient Intake PT and RR Packet with Privacy Practice

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Understanding insurance coverage is an important part of planning care. IMPACT Physical Therapy & Sports Recovery works with many insurance providers, and our team can help verify benefits, explain coverage details, and review any expected out-of-pocket costs before treatment begins.

Coverage varies by plan, so it’s helpful to bring your insurance card and ask questions early. If you have a high-deductible plan, limited visits, or require authorization, we’ll walk through what that means for your care. Clear insurance communication allows you to focus on progress rather than paperwork.

If you do not see your insurance plan listed, please give us a call and we will follow up with your insurance.

List of Accepted Insurance Plans (No Medicaid):

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