If you've never been to physical therapy before, the first visit can feel like a mystery. This is how it works at our clinic, start to finish, so you can arrive relaxed.
Most of the nerves come from not knowing what's going to happen. Will they make me do something that hurts? Do I need a doctor's note? Is this going to be an hour of paperwork? The short answers are no, probably not, and no. The longer answers are below, in the order things actually happen when you come through the door at 733 US Highway 1.
By The First Rehabilitation Team · Reviewed by Dr. Dave Kashuba, Ph.D.
Before you walk in
The first visit really starts with a phone call. When you call 561-624-4263, or send a request through the website, our front desk finds you a time and then does the unglamorous part: checking your insurance. Once you're scheduled, we email you an intake form. Fill it out at home if you can, so your hour starts with therapy rather than a clipboard. If you couldn't get to it, come a few minutes early and the front desk will help you finish it.
Do you need a referral?
Usually not to get started. Florida's direct access law lets most people begin a physical therapy evaluation without a physician referral. There are two catches. Some insurance plans still want a referral before they'll pay, and Medicare requires a physician, or another qualified provider such as a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, to certify your plan of care. We send that plan to your doctor and chase it until it comes back signed, so it doesn't become your errand. Our glossary has a plain-English entry on direct access if you want the short definition.
What the front desk checks
Before your first appointment, we verify your coverage and tell you what your plan pays for, whether you have a copay or a deductible to meet, and whether you need a referral. We accept Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Humana, Tricare, the VA Community Care Network, workers' compensation and self-pay.
If you're on Original Medicare, the 2026 numbers are a Part B deductible of $283 (Federal Register, November 19, 2025), then 20% of the Medicare-approved amount per visit (Medicare.gov). A Medigap or secondary plan may pick up some or all of that 20%. Medicare Advantage plans set their own copays and often need prior authorization, which we request for you. Our 2026 Medicare guide has the full picture, including why the old therapy cap no longer exists.
What to bring, what to wear, and how the hour runs
Here's the packing list. It's short.
- A photo ID.
- Every insurance card you have, including any Medigap or secondary plan, so we can sort out which one pays first.
- Your prescription or referral, if your physician gave you one.
- Imaging reports, and your surgeon's post-op protocol if you've had surgery.
- Claim information, if your visit relates to a work injury or a car accident.
- Comfortable clothes and supportive sneakers: shorts for a knee, hip or ankle, and a loose shirt for a shoulder, arm or hand.
Parking is easy. There's a free lot right at our building, so you park, walk in, and you're here.
And this is roughly how the visit itself goes, step by step.
| Stage | What happens | What you'll leave that stage with |
|---|---|---|
| Before the day | Front desk verifies your benefits; we email an intake form | Your copay or deductible, and whether you need a referral |
| Arriving | Free parking at the building; front desk helps with any unfinished forms | Paperwork done, so the hour goes to you |
| The conversation | One-on-one with your therapist: your story, your symptoms, your goals | Goals written in your own terms |
| The movement evaluation | Walking, bending, reaching; strength, range of motion and balance measured | An explanation of what's driving the problem |
| Treatment | Usually begins the same day: hands-on care, guided movement, first home exercises | One or two exercises to do at home |
| Before you leave | Plan of care set; follow-up visits scheduled | Your next appointments on the calendar |
The whole first visit takes about an hour. Follow-ups are their own thing, and the front desk will tell you how much time to set aside when you book them.
It starts with a conversation
Before anyone touches anything, your therapist sits down with you. When did the pain start? What makes it better or worse? What does it keep you from doing: golf, gardening, pickleball, picking up a grandchild, sleeping through the night? Your goals shape everything that follows, so the more honestly you answer, the better your plan will be.
Dr. Dave Kashuba, Ph.D., OTR, who founded the clinic in 1991, explained why this conversation carries so much weight on Episode 9 of our Pain 2 Power show: “we take everything that you say and you put it into your plan of care, because whatever you tell us subjectively is how we make our assessment and objectively treat you by your subjective complaints.”
The details that change the plan
The little things you might not think to mention are often the useful ones. Dave's example on that same show was the shoulder that “really aches at night,” a detail that points the evaluation in a particular direction. So tell us when it hurts, what you were doing, how you sleep, what you've already tried, and what your job asks of you. If you drive up and down US-1 all day, or sit at a desk, or spend your mornings on the court, we want to know.
Bring your own goals, too. “I want to walk eighteen holes” and “I want to get the groceries in from the car” lead to different plans, and both are good goals. Dave put it plainly on Episode 9: for some people the goal is a game, and for others it's “getting the ability again to reach to the top shelf.”
Why listening matters this much
Orthopaedic shoulder surgeon Dr. Vani Sabesan, MD, the first female president of the Florida Orthopaedic Society, described good care on the same episode as a matter of paying attention: “you listen to your patients and you hear what their needs are and you try to advance what you do, how you do it with that.” Dave, when he got the microphone back, added that people “don't realize how important it is to have your therapist take really good notes and listen.”
So if you feel like your therapist is asking a lot of questions in the first fifteen minutes, that's the evaluation doing its job.
Then, a movement evaluation
Your therapist will watch you move: walking, bending, reaching, getting up from a chair, whatever relates to your problem. We measure strength, range of motion and balance, and we look for the specific patterns contributing to your pain. It's detective work, and the rest of your plan is built on it.
It also tends to look beyond the sore spot. Back pain gets a look at your hips. A knee gets a look at how the whole leg is loading. A sore shoulder gets a look at the shoulder blade and your posture. That's because the place that hurts isn't always the place that's causing it.
No two people move quite the same way, which is why the evaluation is individual. Dave said on Episode 8 that “everyone has a different angle to do the same motion,” and the clinic trains its therapists to look at the person in front of them rather than the diagnosis on the paperwork. Our glossary entry on the initial evaluation sums the visit up in two sentences if you want the short version.
If anything in the evaluation suggests you need something other than therapy, such as imaging, a surgical opinion or a different specialist, we'll tell you. We evaluate and treat; diagnosing is your physician's job, and we coordinate with them when the plan needs to change.
Treatment usually begins on day one
Most patients receive hands-on treatment at the very first visit. That might mean gentle manual therapy to free up a stiff joint, guided movement, and the first one or two exercises of a home program. You'll leave knowing what's going on and what you can do between visits to move things along.
People are often surprised by that. They expect the first appointment to be all forms and measuring. Here, the evaluation and the start of treatment happen in the same hour, one-on-one.
The home exercises matter more than people expect. Captain Kerry Titheradge, from Bravo's Below Deck, came to Dave as a patient about twenty years ago with a shoulder problem. On Episode 13 he remembered it this way: “I remember just following everything you said to the tee, and you were really impressed with how quickly I got back to speed.” Following through between visits is the part of the plan only you can do. Our home exercises page shows the kind of short sets Dave hands patients.
Dr. Sabesan compared a good therapist to “having a hairdresser. They talk to you. They listen to you. It's the company you need.” She said her practice surveyed its shoulder replacement patients and found that 98 percent said the therapist had a huge impact on their outcome. That's her figure, from her own patients, and it's a nice way of saying the relationship counts.
Before you leave: the plan and the next visit
By the end of the hour you'll have a plan of care: your goals, the treatment, how often you'll come and roughly for how long. For Medicare patients that's the document your doctor signs. Our glossary's example of a plan of care gives you the flavor.
How many visits will you need? It varies. A recent ankle sprain and a knee replacement follow very different timelines, and so do two people with the same knee. Your therapist will propose a frequency and set realistic milestones, then re-check your progress along the way and adjust the plan to how you're doing. You shouldn't be coming to sessions you don't need.
Your follow-ups get booked before you walk out, so the recovery has a rhythm from the start. Consistent attendance is one of the biggest drivers of a good result, and it's much easier to keep a standing appointment than to remember to call.
Common first-visit worries, answered
Will it hurt?
It shouldn't. Some soreness is normal when stiff joints and weak muscles start working again, a bit like the day after yard work. Your therapist stays within your tolerance, tells you what each technique should feel like, and changes course straight away if something doesn't feel right. Say so. That feedback is part of the treatment.
Will I see the same therapist each time?
We're a small, family-owned team, and continuity is part of how we work. When more than one of our clinicians is involved, such as a physical therapist and an occupational therapist, or our certified hand therapist, it's coordinated, with people who talk to each other down the hall. If you're not sure whether you need physical or occupational therapy, our post on PT versus OT explains the difference, and the evaluation sorts it out either way.
What if I've just had surgery?
Then your surgeon sets the timeline. Every procedure has its own protocol, and some start therapy within days while others protect the repair for longer. We follow that protocol and coordinate with the surgeon's office, so bring your post-op paperwork to the first visit, or send it ahead, and we'll start you on schedule. Our post-surgical rehab page covers the conditions we see most after an operation.
Call 561-624-4263 to book your evaluation, or request an appointment online. We're open Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM and Saturday 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM, and our Getting Started FAQ answers more of the questions people ask before their first visit.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Every situation is different, so please consult a qualified professional about yours.