1. How Spirit Winds Therapy differs from other physical therapy clinics?
2. If I’m complaining about my shoulder, why do you have to work on other areas? Isn’t the problem at my shoulder?
3. How long until I reach my goals? / How many sessions will I need?
4. What happens if I don't do my homework?
5. Will the changes that occurred during treatment hold?
6. How does Spirit Winds Therapy address emotional issues?
7. Do you network with other healthcare practitioners? What if I am seeing other healthcare providers? Can you work as a team?
8. Should I discontinue a specific activity? / When can I return to a particular activity?
9. Do you participate with insurance companies?
10. Since you now accept insurance, what will my insurance company cover?
11. How much does therapy cost if I do NOT have insurance?
12. Why does Spirit Winds Therapy recommend products such as Green Tea or nutritional supplements?

1. How Spirit Winds Therapy differs from other physical therapy clinics?

One way that Spirit Winds Therapy differs from other clinics is that we have a holistic viewpoint on how we assess and treat clients. We believe that everything in your body is connected and that our emotions and beliefs can influence how we posture ourselves and ultimately influence physical ailments. We are where “East meets West”. A Western understanding of anatomy and physiology is blended with Eastern philosophies of the energetic interactions of the body. To support this holistic approach, treatment occurs in an intimate, peaceful, calming, supportive & personal environment.

The second way that Spirit Winds Therapy differs from other clinics is in the specialized type of “Manual Therapy” practiced. The development of these hands skills comes from years of extensive training in both Integrative Manual Therapy^TM and Biovalent Systems^®. These two approaches, along with techniques specially developed by Michele S. Jang, provide the client with a custom made, powerful and revolutionary therapy that is able to treat a wide range of aches, pains and functional limitations.

2. If I’m complaining about my shoulder, why do you have to work on other areas? Isn’t the problem at my shoulder?

Remember those childhood jingles that go something like, “…the hip bone’s connected to the thigh bone; the thigh bone’s connected to the knee bone…” Not only is that a catchy tune, it’s also educational. Everything in the body is connected. For example, misalignments of your low back can influence your shoulder. Still not convinced? Let’s take another example. If you’re driving a car and the front right wheel blows, the WHOLE vehicle will be affected. If you continue to drive the car, you’ll have to adapt your driving style in order to drive straight. Other parts of the car would eventually become overused, strained and break down. It might take you more gas to get to where you want to go and you’d have to be more active on the steering wheel to keep it straight. So you bring your car into a mechanic complaining about poor alignment and inefficient gas usage. The mechanic would first identify that the blown right front tire is the culprit, fix that, then work on the other strains that ensued such as needing a new axle (i.e. the shoulder).

3. How long until I reach my goals? How many sessions will I need?

Most problems are not caused by a single event, but develop over time. Several events and body compensations could have occurred prior to you having any complaints. This is the case when someone says, “I was doing fine, then one day, I reached to pick up my suitcase and my back hurt.” Well, that one activity put you over the top after many years of your body adapting itself to stress until one day there was “the straw that broke the camel’s back”. Our therapy aims to unpeel that onion of compensations as fast as possible. You should notice a change within 3 sessions. As you come closer to meeting your goals, we may recommend that you decrease treatment frequency.

You will also be assigned homework. It is imperative that you keep up with the homework. The homework keeps the healing momentum going.

In general, your frequency & duration of your sessions will be discussed at the time of your initial evaluation. The frequency and duration will depend upon an agreement between you and your therapist based upon your goals and findings from the evaluation as well as per the recommendation of your referring physician.

4. What happens if I don’t do my homework?

What happens in school if you don’t do your homework? Well, for the majority of people, we don’t end up getting the grades we want. Such is true at Spirit Winds Therapy. Imagine that your rehabilitative process is shaped like a pyramid. At the top of the pyramid are your goals. One half of the pyramid is the responsibility of us at Spirit Winds to do our best job. The other half of the pyramid is your job. Together we will reach the top of the pyramid. If one side is lacking, it will take a longer time to reach the top.

5. Will the changes that occurred during treatment hold?

The majority of changes should stay. However, let’s say that a certain part of your body releases 100%. Yet, the surrounding areas are still extremely tight. Your body adapts to this by dampening the amount of freedom in the treated area to varying degrees.

6. How does Spirit Winds Therapy address emotional issues?

It is our philosophy that our being is not just made up of flesh. We are more than just physical beings. We store emotional, cognitive (beliefs), spiritual and other energies in our tissues. You may come with physical problems, and our treatment may release emotional issues related to that structure. For example, if you come to us for back pain and have extremely low self esteem, it is very unlikely that you will stand up straight or be able to maintain an upright posture if you never address the emotional issues held in your chest. At Spirit Winds, we have tools to help you bring awareness to your issues. However, we are not psychotherapists. We refer to other trained professionals, as we deem appropriate.

7. Do you network with other healthcare practitioners? What if I am seeing other healthcare providers? Can you work as a team?

At Spirit Winds Therapy, we believe that no one can be the expert at everything. We do believe in a team approach. Whenever indicated, we network with medical doctors, nutritionists, acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists, movement therapists, and psychotherapists.

8. Should I discontinue a specific activity? or When can I return to a particular activity?

Pain usually indicates irritation of tissue. Your therapist will advise you of any specific activity to avoid as well as when it is safe to return to a certain activity. Anything that causes extreme pain--even if the pain is delayed in onset--is discouraged. We encourage moderation of activities with a gradual progression. This ensures that your body is properly adapting to the changes and improvements in range of motion without causing added stress and strain. If you feel you must participate in strenuous exercise such as running and tennis, following a session, it is highly advised that you exert no more than 60% of your maximum effort during the activity. You may be advised to take a pause from that particular activity that day then resume the following day.

9. Do you participate with insurance companies?

YES!!! After much consideration and listening to our devoted clients, Spirit Winds Therapy has decided to participate with Medicare and other insurances. This way we can reach a greater number of clients who would not be able to utilize our services otherwise. We are excited to be expanding our sphere of influence. In order to assist us with this process, we will need to have your physician write a prescription for physical therapy. If you do not have a physician, we would be happy to refer you to several physicians whom we know provide excellent care. Please give us a call at (805) 543-5100 and we will call your insurance company to check on your eligibility and benefits for outpatient physical therapy. Any co-pay and / or deductibles will be made known to you prior to beginning physical therapy. Cash patients will still be welcomed.

10. Since you now accept insurance, what will my insurance company cover?

That depends on the insurance company and your plan. Call us at (805) 543-5100 and give us your insurance information. We will need the following in order to check your Eligibility & Benefits:

• Full Name
• Your Date of Birth
• Social Security Number (for some insurance companies)
• Subscribers Name (if applicable)
• Member ID #
• Group #
• Insurance Company phone number (located on your insurance card)

You may also choose to self submit your insurance claim and pay $100 at the time of your visit. This is desirable for those who have high deductibles. Your insurance may reimburse you up to 100% of the cost of your therapy once your deductible is met. For the most accurate answer to this question (as it is individual specific), please call us.

11. How much does therapy cost if I do NOT have insurance?

* Special rates and regulations apply to special package deals. Please inquire.

Low Level Laser RENTALS

* Enhancer Probes are attachments for the Q1000 unit

• Easy & fun to use at home
• Receive 50% off your first weekend rental!!! (applies to Q1000 unit only)

12. Why does Spirit Winds Therapy recommend products such as Green Tea or nutritional supplements?

Along with eating a balanced diet, we recommend certain nutritional products we use ourselves and have seen great benefit with. In order to achieve good health, we must be aware of what we put in our bodies as well as what is deficient. This is similar to a car. An automobile needs fluids. The quality of oil and fuel you use contribute to the car’s longevity and help the car run smoothly, ultimately saving you money in the long run. Most of the products we recommend are high in antioxidants that fight free radicals. Free radicals wreak havoc in the body by causing tissue damage. We find that rehabilitation occurs the fastest when the work performed at Spirit Winds Therapy is coupled with a balanced diet and good nutritional supplements.

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