One of the most important things you can do on the day of your first appointment is to arrive 10 minutes early to fill out your New Patient Paperwork and sign the appropriate documents. If you prefer, you may download the forms from the link below and print them out prior to your appointment. The link for the ‘New Patient Paperwork’ below opens a PDF in a new window. If your printer allows for double sided printing of these documents, that is optimal. All new patients calling the Front Desk to schedule an appointment will need to be prepared to provide credit card information and electronically agree to our cancellation and billing policies in order to hold their appointment. Please pay special attention to the cancellation policies listed in the paperwork you are signing as they are strictly adhered to.
Hourly Rate
Currently, our hourly rate is $225/hr. for treatment with staff therapists and $325/hr. for treatment with the clinic director. In general, sessions are 1 hour long. However, longer sessions are available if you have already had an initial evaluation and have discussed the benefits of extended treatment with our staff. For special events we do have daily and weekly rates available. If you are interested in reserving our services for an extended period of time, please contact the front desk directly via email ([email protected]).
Please bring check, cash(exact change) or your preferred debit or credit card. As of January 2015, we are also able to accept payment with health savings account (HSA) cards as well as flexible spending account (FSA) cards.
Tips for Seeking Reimbursement from Insurance Providers
Our clinic is a cash pay only organization. All services rendered must be paid for in full upon the time of completion. However, we have had many clients apply for and receive partial-to-full reimbursement from their private healthcare insurance providers for their expenses at our clinic. Please note that Counterstrain Portland, LLC is not enrolled with Medicare and Medicare patients are not able to submit requests for reimbursement through Medicare.
The procedure codes we use is:
97124 – Massage Therapy
97140 – Physical Therapy
If you are covered under private insurance, you can talk to your insurance provider about the procedure to find out if it is eligible for reimbursement under your plan. If so, it may require that you get a prescription from your Primary Care Physician for the procedure. When in doubt about your eligibility, we recommend that you get a prescription anyway so that this base is covered should you need it to file a claim in the future.
Arrive Early
Probably the most important thing you can do on the day of your first appointment is to arrive about 10 minutes early to fill out the paperwork and sign the appropriate documents.
Clothing
Please wear comfortable, loose, non-restrictive clothing or bring something to change into as all treatments are provided through the clothing (with a few exceptions where skin contact is a necessity). Great clothing to wear includes exercise attire, yoga pants, shorts, tank tops, t-shirts etc.
Some clothing can make treatment more difficult or more uncomfortable for you. Female clients should avoid wearing underwire bras (if possible) as these often get in the way and can be uncomfortable during several of the techniques. Consider a sports bra instead. Please avoid wearing jeans, belts, sweat shirts, multiple layers and anything restrictive or embarrassing should we have to perform any treatments that might otherwise be immodest without the proper clothing. This includes skirts and dresses for women and kilts for men.
Parking
Parking is plentiful and close by although sometimes the immediate lot fills up so please arrive a few minutes early to allow yourself to find a parking spot. There are several handicap parking spaces located close to the front entrance. In the instance that the closest, adjacent lot is full. There are three other large parking lots as well as a parking garage all within walking distance of our building.
Do NOT plan on going to the gym or performing any type of strenuous exercise for 2-3 days following your treatment. We know this may sound counterintuitive but the reality is that allowing your body to truly rest following Fascial Counterstrain is the most reliable and effective way to heal and recover. Resting reinforces the therapeutic effect of Fascial Counterstrain, whereas stressing healing tissues too soon after treatment often encourages the body to revert back to dysfunction reintroducing pain and the symptoms you are seeking to alleviate. If you are a highly active, we encourage you to work out the morning of your session and then plan on taking a few days off. It will greatly benefit your journey back to wellness to rest a few days and allow your body to heal fully. Often, if you are able, a brisk walk of 15-20 minutes is helpful and recommended immediately following the session.
In most cases, the best thing to do following a session is to drink lots of water and rest. Here are a few tips and notes to help you take care of yourself after treatment that support you to get the most out of your treatments.
Take a walk!
Take a 15-20 minute walk after treatment to flush your body’s toxins and get your blood flow moving.
Take a drink!
Make sure to drink 10-12 glasses of pure water following your session. You’ll help flush the waste from your body before it has a chance to inflict pain and cause new dysfunction. Try to avoid dehydrating favorites such as coffee and soft drinks for at least 48 hours after treatment.
Take a bath!
If you enjoy taking baths or are lucky enough to own a jacuzzi, an epsom salt soak after your treatment can drastically reduce the chance of post-treatment soreness.
Take it Easy!
Don’t plan on going to the athletic club or performing any type of strenuous activity for 2-3 days following your treatment. Resting reinforces the therapeutic effect of Fascial Counterstrain, whereas stressing healing tissues too soon after treatment often encourages the body to revert back to dysfunction reintroducing pain and the symptoms you are seeking to alleviate. This rest period is crucial and allows your body to process and rid itself of the metabolic waste, toxins and inflammation that has accumulated over time.
Take note!
When the metabolic waste and lactic acid that has built up in your tissues is released during Fascial Counterstrain, there is a chance that it can create a mild, temporary toxicity within your body. This will often present as fatigue and body ache, or can feel like a mild case of the flu for 1-3 days following treatment. If an increase in symptoms or pain persists longer than 48 hours, please call the front desk and let us know.
Home Programs
If you’re body presents multi-system dysfunction or you have a complicated chronic condition you may be given a home program. This will assist in the process of calming your protective reflexes by reinforcing the good, proprioceptive feedback generated by the treatment. If you need additional information or are not able to replicate the treatments on your own, please call or email us with your questions.
