FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

No - Illinois is considered a direct access state. Meaning, a prescription or referral for physical therapy is not required for you to be seen in our practice; you can call us to make an appointment right away. You no longer have to delay your care waiting for a doctor's appointment. Having quick or immediate access to your physical therapist can often be the difference between your condition being acute or temporary and chronic.

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Although the Illinois law does not require a referral, your health care provider does need to be notified that you are receiving care for physical therapy. Because of this, we will ask you to provide the name and contact information for your doctor or primary care physician in your initial paperwork.

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A referral from your physician can also assist in providing you with the highest reimbursement from your insurance provider.

Your first session will be 60 minutes, one-on-one with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. You will discuss your history, current concerns, and goals. We will also discuss your current bowel habits, bladder habits, any pain that you may be having, as well as your sexual function. Next, a comprehensive evaluation will be performed. An internal examination of the pelvic floor muscles may also be performed in order to provide a thorough understanding of your symptoms. We will then discuss our findings, answer any questions and determine the best plan of care going forward.

Every one of our patients is treated as a unique individual. We address your whole body, not just the part that hurts or is injured. Our goal is to understand exactly what is going on, the root cause of the problem and why it's important to you for us to help you solve the issue. You will be prescribed a specific treatment plan which is designed to address the problems responsible for your pain and symptoms and help you find lasting relief as soon as possible.

It is impossible to predict the exact number of visits you will need as everyone's individual challenges are unique. Our typical patient is seen approximately 1 visit a week, for about 10-12 visits. We will know more specifically once we see you in the clinic for an evaluation.

Every patient is taught how to treat themselves at home using self-treatment techniques, modified yoga poses, activity modification strategies and corrective exercise. You will receive a personalized treatment program for treatment and long term prevention of your condition.

For physical therapy patients, it is important to have access to visibly examine, palpate and treat your body, muscles and tissues directly. Please wear loose, comfortable clothing that is easy to maneuver if need be.

Visceral Manipulation was developed by world-renowned French Osteopath and Physical Therapist Jean-Pierre Barral. Visceral manipulation is a form of manual therapy that encourages normal tone and movement both within and between the internal organs, their connective tissues and other structures of the body where normal motion has been impaired. Our organs have to move in order to be functional. Loss of motion within the soft tissues can occur when inflammation is present. Tissue inflammation can be caused by infection, direct trauma, repititious movement, diet, environmental toxins, childbirth, surgeries, emotional stress, etc. It is based on the premise that movement is essential for life and any restriction will affect our health.

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It is a hands-on therapy technique with the specific goal of allowing the body to self-correct, by evaluating the entire body to find the source of dysfunction, instead of focusing solely on the site of pain. For example, traditional methods of pelvic floor therapy often hone in on the pelvic floor muscles as the source of dysfunction. However, this is often not the case. Pelvic floor dysfunction can stem from the structures surrounding the female reproductive organs such as the urinary bladder or bowel, the associated musculature, ligaments, fascia and bones, or from the reproductive organs themselves. 

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All of the services provided by Full Circle Birth & Pelvic Health are considered part of your "out of network" physical therapy benefits. We provide you with the forms needed to send to your insurance company and they will reimburse you directly.

1) Call your insurance provider and ask the following questions:

• What are my "out of network" benefits for physical therapy?

• What is my deductible and how much have I met?

• What percentage of reimbursement is offered once my deductible has been met?

• How do I submit?

2) After each visit, we will provide you with an invoice to submit to your insurance for reimbursement.​

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3) Your insurance provider will reimburse you directly.