I have paid good money for insurance, and I want to use my benefits. Why don't you take my insurance? Let's talk about most insurance companies and how they interact with your providers. As a provider, I have a contract with each and every one dictating how much of a fee schedule I receive for each unit of treatment. Meaning if you are in the clinic for an hour, I would receive 4 units of pay. Depending on the unit, the cost is different and whether or not we used more than one of the same code. Looks like this. 97140 (manual therapy): $22 but your practitioner was only able to negotiate 85% of that (so they only receive $18.70) for the one code ~15 min of treatment. Let's say you used two of those codes for 30 min of manual therapy (hands on treatment). They deduct another percentage usually only receiving about 80% of the first amount (now getting $14.96 for the second code of the same thing). The remaining 30 min may be split between two other codes (exercise and activity) on average $18.70 and $18.70. Total visit reimbursement for the visit: $71.06 The company also deducts your copay from this amount...meaning if you are responsible for a $35 dollar copay, your insurance will pay us the remainder $36.06. This is for an hour of a Doctor of Physical Therapy's (DPT) time with you to help you get better. We struggle with these reimbursement rates because they don't meet inflation and budget needs with the amount of collections and paperwork this requires. The lack of reimbursement reduces the time the Doctor can spend with you to make clinic finances. Therefore, you only get about 30 min with the DPT and are usually given to an exercise specialist to continue the treatment. This prolongs treatment because you have lost focused care on your form, time to create and give specific exercises for your areas of weakness or coordination, and a therapist who is burned out due to the high patient load with little satisfaction. Even when we are more specific, it becomes more wrote in order to meet time constraints. Let's get back to why cash-based/ out of network. When you pay the cash rate at a clinic that is not taking insurance, you are guaranteeing focused treatment on your needs and wants and not what insurance says you need. Insurance requires referrals by physicians (most of the time) to pay Insurance requires that I stay within the confines of a specific referred region (only neck, only shoulder, etc) Insurance requires that I only use so many visits (but not enough true time means longer treatment duration- instead of 6 visits now you may need 12-16). Insurance requires that perhaps you only have 20 visits for that region in your lifetime (some plans do this) or only allowed to have treatment for a specific diagnosis for 20 visits in your lifetime Insurance doesn't let me treat you for sports return because that is not considered part of your functional daily needs I chose out of network in order to meet your needs and wants without us having to confine your treatment. You come in for neck and face pain. Jaw pain or TMJ is a policy that has to be added in some cases and more insurances companies are not covering it. I can be a part of you getting back to eating, speaking, and sleeping well. Perhaps you also come with some low back pain, I can treat that too while we are working on the face. Out of Network means we decide what you need and what treatment is best Manual therapy, manipulation, dry needling, exercise, and education Increased time to listen without quickly moving you along Availability to your Doctor of Physical Therapy with texting, portal, and exercise portal Televisits as needed Out of network lets me be the Doctor of Physical Therapy that you as a patient needs in order to maximize your progress, change the exercises specifically to the tasks and activities you want to accomplish, and improve your daily life with less visits. I can be available to you when you need it and be able to address your needs more readily in a more personalized care plan. Why out of network? Because I can be what you need without pressure from other third-parties to do therapy their way when they don't really know you or your needs. You are the priority in my care not your insurance company.

A jaw sprain can be traumatic or mechanical injury to the joint. This can happen after a motor vehicle accident, facial trauma, or just biting down on something chewy or hard. Long dental appointments or dental surgeries can also cause a jaw sprain. Symptoms of a jaw sprain can be sudden jaw pain, limited opening, tenderness, and loss of the ability to chew or speak without pain. Common symptoms of a sprain may be: Jaw pain or tenderness Popping or inability to open the mouth Cheek muscle pain and tightness Head or earaches Pain with chewing or biting The feeling that you need to "baby" or be cautious with your jaw Are you at risk? If you have a history of prior jaw pain, sprain, or incidences where you have had some of the symptoms above, then you may be at risk for another incident. This may occur more with a prolonged opening requirement like a dental appointment or surgery. Dental events that could put you at risk when you have a higher risk are: Long appointments Multiple appointments in a short amount of time Multiple injections Multiple back teeth work on both sides How do I reduce my risk? You may require dental procedures that require all of the above like 3rd molar (wisdom teeth removal) or other back molar filings or extractions. It is important to speak up if you are having pain and difficulty with your position. Don't be afraid to ask for breaks Ask for shorter appointment times Ask for breaks during the appointment What do I do if I have a jaw sprain? Remember it is normal to have soreness for up to a week after a treatment. You can speak to your dentist regarding taking anti-inflammatories and any other medications needed. Anti-inflammatories if the symptoms are going longer than 2 weeks (speak to your dentist and physician before beginning a regime) Hot/Cold compress careful to have a towel or pillow case between the heat or cold and your face. Applying pressure to the area Call your Craniofacial/ TMJ Physical Therapist as they will help you perform the proper exercises, manual therapy to reduce the pressure and swelling, and give you education on food and eating choices A splint can be helpful to reduce the pain and pressure so be sure to let you dentist know that the pain is continuing and present after a week. Remember you can request Physical Therapy as well any time when you have pain. You can come without a referral to have your jaw evaluation and gain relief. Sprain happens but they don't have to stay and we can work on reducing you risk of re-injury with any future or further dental appointments, eating, or daily tasks. Call your Craniofacial Physical Therapist to help! 352-727-0472 or www.ihnss.com Credit: https://www.dentistryiq.com/personal-wellness/article/14210229/jaw-sprain-or-jaw-strain-symptoms-and-treatments

You woke up and you couldn't open your mouth much. You bit down on some food or day old pizza crust and now your jaw hurts and you can't close your mouth comfortably. You had a recent surgery to your joint or your face and chewing is painful. Had a recent dental procedure and your mouth is so sore. Eating is so much more than just nutrition. Eating is a social activity. Eating around the table or with family is where we share our stories, share our days, validate feelings, and connect with others. When we lose the ability to chew comfortably, we lose so much more than just nutrition. Have no fear. Just because you can't chew well right now doesn't mean it will stay this way. Craniofacial Physical Therapy can help you get back to moving well and reducing your pain. The underlying reasons and restrictions need to be addressed. In the mean time, let's discuss what you can do to keep your nutrition and enjoy your family/friend time as well. Soft foods are a great start. We want to prioritize good fats and proteins for your bodies nutritional needs. Even though vegetables may be something we have to avoid because of how hard they are, we can use them in other mediums life smoothies. Think yogurts, protein powders, smoothies, and casseroles, Think egg salad or chicken salad. Think of adding the protein powder to soups as a thickener. Many protein powders can be flavorless (not vanilla or chocolate). Good fats such as avocados can be soft and can help with fullness and good energy. Tried to avoid things that have heavy sugar as your only option. Ice cream can be helpful for the soft and the cold when you are in pain; however, the sugar will not satisfy for long. The time of soft food eating should be a week to two at the most. Post-surgical may have different needs and we can always discuss prolonged nutritional changes as required. Once you can start tolerating more, you want to slowly work into harder foods. Avoid crunchy or chewy until the very end. You wouldn't start lifting weights with 25 lb weights? So think of the foods as exercise and we want to work up to crunchy and chewy. Think fish instead of beef. As you are tolerating more, you can slowly work into the others. Don't avoid eating on the painful side unless instructed by your health care practitioner. Avoiding chewing on that side will cause more problems with the joint. Start with the soft on that side and make it the first chew or two and then move to the other side. You can do this! Your jaw doesn't have to hurt. Please reach out to your Craniofacial Specialist to help you with your plan on returning to eating and nutritional needs. We would love to help you get back to your family time with less pain.