Patient Info

Physical therapy is a treatment approach for a variety of movement-related problems that make it hard for you to perform everyday activities. The goal of physical therapy is to restore your ability to return to all of the things you enjoy in life, both tasks around the house, caring for family, working, shopping, and participating in recreational and sporting activities. There are physical therapy techniques that help reduce pain, swelling, and scar tissue tightness, as well as restoring full joint range of motion, muscle flexibility, strength, and endurance. We also work on improving balance, gait (walking), getting in and out of bed, and going up and down stairs.

Physical therapy is helpful after having a joint replaced, tendons or ligaments repaired or reconstructed, and if you have sustained a new or reoccurring injury to a nerve, tendon, joint, or muscle. Physical therapy can also be very helpful in conjunction with other medical treatments for diseases such as cancer, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, spinal stenosis, and many others. Ask your physician if physical therapy may benefit you, or feel free to contact us at 920-215-2050 to discuss your medical condition. We will take the time to listen to your concerns to help determine whether or not we can help.

Physical therapists tailor their treatment plan to the problems they find during your initial evaluation. Treatment begins at the first appointment and may include modalities to reduce pain and swelling such as ice, ultrasound with medication, electrical stimulation with medication, and/or manual therapy (hands-on) techniques. Manual therapy techniques may include soft tissue mobilization or massage, scar mobilization, joint mobilization, manipulation, and muscle energy techniques, among others.

Your physical therapist will also introduce specific exercises to help reduce pain and improve movement. This home exercise program will be tweaked and modified throughout your physical therapy sessions, and they are the key to both short-term and long-term success. Some exercises will help improve flexibility, while others may focus on balance, strengthening, general conditioning, and improving muscle endurance.

Physical therapy involves a lot of education regarding your diagnosis, issues, and treatment approaches to assist you in setting goals and taking charge of your own treatment plan. At every visit you will receive some type of movement education as well to address your posture, ergonomics at home and work, home and/or work activity training and simulation, body mechanics training, and sport specific activities.

Provider referrals are always welcome, although the state of Wisconsin does not require a physician referral to attend physical therapy. However, most insurance companies do still require a referral. If you would like to find out for sure, you can contact your insurance company by calling the number on the back of your insurance card and asking them directly. Most patients are already working with a nurse practitioner, chiropractor, physician, surgeon, podiatrist, or dentist who are more than willing to provide a script for physical therapy, many by just requesting this by phone. Our office is happy to assist you with obtaining a referral and guiding you through this simple process.

MotionWorks Physical Therapy is a specialty, boutique provider of physical therapy services. We focus on what we do best, our specialties of sports medicine and manual therapy for treatment of the spine and extremities, instead of providing average, full spectrum physical therapy services. Our mission is to provide the highest level of personalized, one-on-one patient care, with appointment times that are convenient to you, close to where you live and work. Our results speak for themselves, as we often can help those who have not seen a benefit from treatment provided elsewhere.

Great question! Please bring the referral form (prescription) from your physician, as well as your most recent insurance card, list of current medications, and a list of your medical history (if extensive). If you have some imaging or test results, bring the testing report as well. Also, if you use an assistive device such as a walker, cane, or crutches, please bring these to your appointment as well.

Once you check in for your initial evaluation, you will be registered as a new patient. This process includes answering a medical history questionnaire and providing a medication list, so your physical therapist can consider your medical history when developing your unique treatment plan. After updating your physical therapist on your condition, related imaging or test results, current symptoms and problems, and previous treatments you have tried, your physical therapist will evaluate your condition. This evaluation is specific to you and your diagnosis, but may include measurements of swelling, joint motion, strength, special tests, and functional tests as well as observation of posture and movement.

Please wear some loose, comfortable clothes that you can move in and a pair of comfortable shoes.  It is also helpful to keep jewelry and perfume to a minimum.

If you fall into one of these categories...

• You have a leg or knee injury: please bring or wear shorts
• You are coming for any kind of sport, running, or movement assessment including custom orthotics: bring your walking, running, or sport specific performance shoes and bring or wear shorts and workout clothes!
• You have hair that is medium or long in length and we are treating your head, neck, and/or spine: bring an elastic band to put your hair up
• You have an aquatic therapy appointment: please bring a towel, modest swimming suit, flip flops, and a cover-up

Yes. If we are not a preferred provider for your insurance plan, if you have a high deductible, or if your are seeking physical therapy services that are recreational or sports-related and not covered by your insurance plan, you may choose to self pay for physical therapy services. We offer several payment and concierge service plans that serve as affordable payment options.

We accept most insurance plans. To be certain, please contact our office at 920-215-2050 so we can specifically check if we are a preferred or in-network provider for your insurance plan.

The physical therapists at MotionWorks specialize in the tough to treat cases that may not be improving by the typical physical therapy approaches provided elsewhere. We believe there is more to physical therapy than providing exercises and teaching you how to cope with your pain. Our physical therapists provide thorough initial examinations as well as re-evaluations each visit to make sure we are on the right track to improve both your pain and function. By finding and treating the source of the pain, and not just the symptoms, with a hands-on manual therapy approach, we have delivered success for patients who were struggling to improve. We do not provide a magic bullet, but we will teach you how to manage any on-going symptoms with self-treatment techniques, modify activities including work-outs based on you feel each day, and make everyday postures and movements safely and more efficient without flaring your symptoms.

Our physical therapists specialize in sports medicine and manual therapy (soft tissue mobilization, myofascial release, scar mobilization, joint mobilization and manipulation, and muscle energy techniques) for the treatment of sports injuries, spine, neck, and TMJ dysfunction, and tension headaches.