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 therapy 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 are currently still in search of permanent studio space. In the meantime we provide mobile and virtual services, meaning we can come to you or schedule a virtual appointment when appropriate. An additional travel fee will apply if you live outside of the Bastrop (78602) or Smithville (78957) areas. Please contact us at info@bodylovebastrop.com for information.