FAQs

You can call us on the phone to schedule at 512-814-8189 or email us at schedule@bodylovebastrop.com with your name, phone number, location, and preferred appointment times. If you get our voicemail, please leave your name, phone number, and preferred time for us to return your call.

You do not require a referral if you have no symptoms and would like to see us for preventative care or general health/fitness/wellness.

You do not need a referral to receive an initial evaluation and receive physical therapy treatments for 10 days. However, the State of Texas requires that we will require a referral in order to continue care after 10 days from the initial evaluation. The list of qualifying referral sources includes physicians, dentists, chiropractors, podiatrists, physician assistants, and advanced nurse practitioners. The referral can be submitted in several ways:

1. You can bring the written referral to us in person at the time of your appointment or email it to us at schedule@bodylovebastrop.com.

2. Referral can be faxed to 512-566-3431

3. The referral source can call the referral in at 512-814-8189 or email it to schedule@bodylovebastrop.com

***Please note that you can bring a physical therapy referral to any clinic or physical therapist of your choosing.

We are a participating provider ("in-network") with Medicare, Medicaid, and BCBS.

We are “out-of-network" with all other insurance providers, including Medicare Advantage providers. We will provide you with a superbill which you can self-submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. In many cases your insurance company will reimbursement you for some if not all of the treatment cost. You may also be able to apply the treatment costs towards your deductible. Check with your insurance company to see if your plan offers out-of-network physical therapy benefits.

We offer reasonable rates and can work with you on a sliding scale if your income qualifies. Contact us at info@bodylovebastrop.com for rates.

Many insurance companies do not reimburse physical therapists enough for us to provide you with effective, one-on-one sessions with a licensed physical therapist. This is why many clinics must see multiple patients at one time and utilize physical therapy aides or technicians for direct patient care. Some insurance policies also require "pre-authorization" in order to be reimbursed which requires more administrative time than small practices are able to provide. By using a mostly fee-for-service model, we are able to provide effective, one-on-one care with a licensed physical therapist and get you better faster. We can still provide you with a bill that you can submit to your insurance company. In most cases you will receive some level of reimbursement or be able to apply the cost of treatments towards your deductible.

Dry Needling is a skilled intervention performed by a trained health care professional. This professional uses a fine filiform needle to penetrate the skin, creating a healing response in the tissue that has been lesioned. Tissues contributing to neuromuscularskeletal dysfunction can be dry needled, including muscle, fascia, tendon, capsule, ligament, peri-neural structures and microvascular structures.

Research is still looking at how dry needling works in both acute and chronic conditions. Patients who present with pain syndromes, neuromuscularskeletal disorders and movement impairment syndromes can all benefit from dry needling. Simple muscle tightness, strains and sprains, an overworked body needing recovery, muscle activation, swelling reduction and pain modulation are all clinical examples for the use of dry needling. Science points us in the correct direction to appropriately choose when to use the modality, and research is being gathered on best practices overall for dry needling.

Traditional acupuncture is rooted in eastern philosophy while dry needling is rooted in western medicine's understanding of the human anatomy and physiology. Dry needling is similar to acupuncture in that the types of needles we use are the same. As with any tool used in medicine, there is overlap amongst professionals who use the tool. The main differences are discussed in this article by Zhou et al entitled "Dry needling versus acupuncture: the ongoing debate". The way the tool is applied is what makes it different from profession to profession, meaning that where we place the needle and our reason for doing so are different than acupuncture.

The practice of running electrical current through needles inserted into body tissues was first practiced by Chinese doctors in the 1950's for surgical anesthesia. Previous to this innovation, anesthetists had to manually rotate needles during surgery to produce analgesic effects. Incorporating electrical stimulation into dry needling is called intramuscular stimulation (or IMS). Research suggests that IMS is more effective than dry needling alone for decreasing pain and improving function. IMS is able to stimulate the release of endogenous opioids such as enkephalin, endorphins, serotonin, and dynorphin. IMS has been shown to induce neuroplasticity of muscles and regeneration of injured or inflamed nerves, meaning faster recovery and improved function following surgery or injury. IMS has additionally been shown to be useful for re-organizing scar tissue by stimulating the production of denser and stronger Type I and II collagen compared to weaker and more disorganized Type III scar tissue.

We provide flexible options for your convenience including mobile in-person at your home or gym, virtual services, or meeting at our shared studio space on Highway 71 between Bastrop and Smithville. An additional travel fee may apply if you live outside of the Bastrop or Smithville city limits. Please contact us at info@bodylovebastrop.com for information.

Fascial dysfunctions can mimic many musculoskeletal injuries including tendinopathies (aka tendonitis), ligament sprains, cartilage injuries, muscle strains, disc issues, bursitis, chronic tension, or SIJ pain. The Fascial Manipulation by Stecco (FM) method is a manual method for the treatment of fascial dysfunction and myofascial pain. FM was developed by Luigi Stecco, PT, in collaboration with his children Carla Stecco and Antonio Stecco (both MDs, PhDs), over the last 40 years. The FM model couples the intelligence of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s meridian system with extensive research on the anatomy and physiology of the fascial system to create a holistic system for treating pain and internal organ dysfunction. This technique is practiced by thousands of practitioners around the world from different fields, including physical therapists, medical doctors, and professional sports team trainers.

The goal of FM is to improve biomechanics, increase mobility, and decrease pain through treatment of dysfunction in deep fascia. FM is particularly effective in treating hard-to-treat, chronic conditions due its ability to look at the body as a whole, not just where it hurts. Many approaches target only the main complaint in treatment; however, this symptom-focused mindset often falls short as it may overlook the actual cause of the complaint, which may be located elsewhere in the body. The Stecco methodology can explain how multi-pain sites and ‘random’ pains can be potentially linked to old internal or musculoskeletal injuries. Treatment to release the fascial tissue along lines of tension helps restore muscle balance and clears pain.

Your therapist will begin the assessment by taking a thorough history of current and previous pain and injury. She will use this history to form a hypothesis on the root cause and how it has evolved. There will be a strong focus on old injuries that may have created an original myofascial insult causing compensation patterns. Your therapist will perform a quick movement screening of the relevant areas followed by manually assessing various myofascial points of the body. Assessment of the deep fascia on points of the body called “Centers of Coordination” or “Centers of Fusion” is performed in order to identify “densifications” - or areas where fascia is rigid or not properly gliding. This may be performed in supine, prone, sidelying, or seated. Do not be surprised if these areas are far from the site of pain, as the body is connected from head to toe by myofascial chains that, if interrupted, can cause a disturbance further up or down the chain. These may feel like muscle knots or sharp trigger points. At times the pain may radiate to other parts of the body or reproduce your symptoms. You will be asked to provide feedback on pain level during palpation of these points and if there is any radiating or familiar pain.

Treatment will be directed on areas with the most densification. Your therapist will use fingertips, knuckles, elbows, or fascial tools to resolve densifications. Each area may be treated from 2-10 minutes, depending on the stubbornness of the densification. Older densifications may take longer to treat. About four to six areas may be treated each session. Treatment can be painful, however as the densification resolves the pain level should decrease quickly. If appropriate, dry needling (with or without electrical stimulation) or percussive devices may be used to assist the process.

Wear loose-fitted clothing, such as shorts with an elastic waistband and loose shirts. Ladies may wish to wear a sports bra, as you may be asked to remove your shirt in order to better access to the fascial points. Please do not wear tights. On the day of your treatment, avoid applying oily lotions/creams or wearing makeup, as some areas of the face and around the eye may be treated.

Please bring a written history of your previous injuries, surgeries, traumas, fractures, and movement dysfunctions to your appointment. This history should include the injury/pain location, date (month/year) of initial onset, mechanism of injury, current/min/max pain levels on a scale of 1-10, and resulting movement limitations, if any.

The treated areas may be sore and tender for a few days following treatment. Try to avoid anti-inflammatory medications (unless prescribed) as these may reduce the effectiveness of the treatment, which is intended to stimulate inflammation in order to break down the areas of densification. Following treatment, do not engage in novel or strenuous activity. Try to rest the body and perform normal activities. It is important to stay hydrated and get enough sleep.

If there is an increase or change in pain, this needs to be communicated to your therapist and can be resolved by improving treatment balance next session.

It is difficult to estimate how many FM treatments are required to resolve your myofascial dysfunction. Acute injuries (less than 1 month since initial onset) may resolve quickly in just 1-2 sessions, while more chronic, complex, or multi-site cases may require a longer period of treatment to resolve. Exercises may be recommended in order to maintain results and improve balance and flexibility across the myofascial chains. If your issue is not caused by fascial dysfunction, a different treatment approach may be more appropriate.