Frequently Asked Questions

Who needs physical therapy?
Anyone who has a condition which limits their ability to function normally with their daily activities.

What insurance is accepted?
All PPOs, Medicare, Healthcare Partners and Talbert HMOs, Workers’ Compensation and Personal Injury Liens.

Do I need a referral (prescription) from my doctor?
California allows limited treatment for physical therapy without a prescription; however, your medical insurance carrier may require a doctor’s prescription to cover the service.  HMOs require an authorization to cover physical therapy.

What can I expect at the initial appointment?
Once you have completed the needed paperwork and medical history, a physical therapist will perform a thorough assessment of your condition and develop a treatment plan and set goals for your rehabilitation.

Is physical therapy painful?
Sometimes a therapy session can be painful such as after surgery, but all sessions are designed to promote the healing process, thereby reducing pain and restoring function.

Can you assure me that I’ll get better with physical therapy?
While there is no guarantee that you will improve, the vast majority of patients greatly increase their abilities with their course of physical therapy.

What can I expect at the end of my treatment program?
Once you have achieved maximum function and improvement, a final evaluation will be performed and sent to your doctor.  You will be discharged with a home exercise program.     

Why is flexibility an important component of physical fitness?
Flexibility allows for full joint and limb movement, reducing chances of injury and allowing full participation in recreation and all daily endeavors.

What clothing should I wear to my first treatment and is there anything I need to bring?
Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing such as sweatpants or shorts.  Bring your insurance and a picture ID as well as any medical reports that relate to your condition.

Conditions

Musculoskeletal

Bone Spurs (osteophytes) are bony projections that develop along the edges of bones and often form where bones meet each other: in your joints.  They can also form on the bones of your spine.

Bone spurs are mainly caused by the joint damage associated with osteoarthritis.  Most bone spurs cause no symptoms, may go undetected for years, and may not require treatment.  Decisions about treatment depend on where the spurs are situated and how they affect your health.

Fractures, breaks in the skeletal structure, may be just cracks with no bone displacement or there may be minimal to significant degree of displacement of the bone fragments.

Joint Replacements refer to surgical replacement of the articular surfaces of a joint for relief of severe osteoarthritis or prior traumatic joint injury and pain.  Hips and knees are the most common joint replacements.

Muscle Pain can result from strains, spasms and contusions as well as other medical conditions.

Osteoarthritis, wear and tear of joint cartilage, is also caused by joint injuries.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that causes degeneration of the joint and which can cause muscle pain. 

Back and Neck Pain are often a result of muscle strain and osteoarthritis.

Rotator Cuff Injuries occur in the tendinous cuff that supports and moves the shoulder joint, resulting in weakness and, in severe cases, an inability to lift the arm.

Scoliosis is an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine.      

Basic Core Strengthening Exercises is a program for improving posture and structural integrity of the back and pelvis.

Spinal Stenosis is a narrowing of the open spaces within your spine, which can put pressure on your spinal cord and the nerves that travel through the spine to your arms and legs.  Spinal stenosis occurs most often in the lower back and the neck.

Neurological and Medical Disorders

Post-Hospitalized Conditioning is a recovery program after hospitalization, resulting in an increase of strength and function.

Parkinson’s Disease is a neurological condition resulting in loss of normal movement. 

Stroke is a blood clot resulting in injury to the brain which can affect musculoskeletal control as well as thought processes and speech.

Movement Disorders describe any conditions that limits normal body movement.

Other Conditions      

Pinched Nerves are caused by pressure on a nerve, which is usually from the narrowing of a disc or bulging disc in the spine.

Herniated Disc Repair is the surgical repair of a bulging disc.

Multilevel Surgical Fusions is the immobilization of more than one vertebrae by connecting them with hardware.

Loss of Range of Motion means any limitation of movement in the extremities or spine.

Sports-Related Injuries and Injury Prevention is conditioning specifically designed to prevent injuries in the course of competition.

Spinal Cord Compression refers to pressure/injury to the central portion of the cord or spinal canal.       

Meniscal Tears are injuries to the cartilage in the knee.    

Ankle Sprains are usually on the outside of the ankle, stretched or torn ligament and/or tendon.

TMJ Dysfunction is pain in the jaw joint.       

Headache may be related to neck pain.

Lower Back Pain is often caused by strain, sprain and disc disease.

Neck Pain is often brought on by osteoarthritis, disc disease or injury.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is an irritation of the nerves and tendons where they pass through the wrist.

TREATMENTS

Our physical therapy treatments, in the form of both aquatic- and land-based settings, are tailored to your needs so you can select the best type of care for your particular condition.

Work Conditioning refers to exercises designed specifically to strengthen you, to allow a safe return to your work duties, as well as to your same previous level of function as quickly as possible.

Balance and Mobility Programs are comprised of several activities, and include coordination and balance exercises as well as training to improve the ability to safely walk and perform daily tasks in the home and in the community.

Manual Therapy, essential to treating dysfunctional areas, is hands-on physical therapy to improve joint motion, spine flexibility, and muscle movement, as well as to relieve both muscle and joint pain.

Spine Rehabilitation returns postural strength and movement, and provides relief of neck and back pain, which can be caused by any number of components in the neck and back.        

Exercises to Manage Daily Life Functions are designed to improve independence when performing activities such as bathing, grooming, dressing, shopping and routine household duties.

Pre- and Post-Surgical Rehabilitation is a physical therapy regime designed to accelerate the healing process and speed recovery to full function, thus improving the overall results of the surgery.  It also restores your range of motion (ROM) and improves strength.

Kevin Le

Assistant

Kevin Le has been working as a physical therapy aide with two years of experience under his belt.  He aspires to become a physical therapist specializing in sports medicine.  He would like to work with athletes of all ages.

Kevin received his B.S. in Biochemistry and is currently awaiting acceptance into graduate school.

Henry Helms

owner

Henry Helms, owner, has over 25 years of experience helping clients to recover from illness and injuries related to Orthopaedic and Neurological diagnoses with Physical Therapy treatment.

He's a member of the Private Practice Section, the Aquatics Section and Orthopaedic Sections of the National and California Physical Therapy Associations.

Crisca Diswe

ASsistant

Crisca Diswe is an Kinesiology undergrad at California State University, Long Beach.  Before joining the New West Physical Therapy team, she volunteered at
St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Fullerton, California.  She anticipates to one day obtain her Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy. She wants to become knowledgeable in all aspects of rehabilitation within a physical therapy environment.  She hopes to one day own a practice alongside her dad who is also a physical therapist. 

Lorena ramirez

assistant

Two started her career in healthcare as a massage therapist in 2006, and has been a physical therapy aide for the past seven years.  He has experience as an outpatient land/pool physical therapist, as well as in a hospital inpatient physical therapy treatment setting for orthopaedic, medical, neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Connie Bowen

Physical therapist

Connie has 37 years of experience in physical therapy. She owned a private practice for thirteen years. Achieved Physical Therapy Board Certification in Orthopedic Specialization from 2005-2015. Areas of experience are in: orthopedics and sports medicine, geriatrics, home health, neurological rehabilitation, TMJ syndrome, chronic pain, acute care and now aquatic therapy.