I feel like its mandatory for all Physical Therapy (PT) blogs to talk about the importance of direct access and while I am very passionate about it I decided to hold off because it seems like others have possibly made the point, however a recent research article made me change my mind. And it should change your mind as well. Let me try to blow your mind...
Lets say you're feeling sick with flu like symptoms. (I’m sorry, I hope your not a hypochondriac). Where do you go? Probably you family care doctor (GP). Good choice, they can prescribe medication. Now you feel better! Great job!
Now lets say you have a toothache or your gums are hurting (I feel like we're reading a ‘choose your own adventure’ RL Stine book right now!). Where do you go? Probably your dentist. Again, great choice. Your 2 for 2.
Ok, now you're at the beach on a Saturday and got a bad cut on your foot and you know its definitely gonna need some stitches and its still bleeding pretty bad. Where do you go? Hopefully you don't wait for 2-3days to schedule an appointment with your GP while you bleed out but instead you head to the ER. They clean it up and give you some crutches and you're good to go. Great job 3 for 3. Your mom would be so proud.
Ok, last one. Your shoulder (neck, back, insert body part) is bugging you from painting your house over the weekend or maybe after deciding to go play a game of basketball or from sitting in a car after a long road trip (again, insert almost any activity or sustained posture). Where do you go???? Well, you say to yourself “Self, I should probably head over to my good ol’ GP. It’s not serious enough for the ER so he/she can fix me up”. You wait a few days for your appointment all the while its getting worse. He prescribes you some medication (muscle relaxers) but their not doing the trick and probably just making you real drowsy. So what do you do? Go back to the GP in 2 weeks? Still no answers. Sorry wrong choice, your 3 for 4. Try again next time! Your GP is not the go-to guy for orthopedic pain.
Before I give you the answer, let me be perfectly clear that this in no way limits the awesomeness of your family GP. I once thought about being a GP. Than I realized I am not that awesome. They know SO MUCH. Unfortunately most don't know a ton about orthopedics. Again, we should be ok with that because they are awesome at so much other stuff. Think about it this way (sorry I learn best from analogies...I hope you do as well): You go to your favorite and most awesome mexican restaurant. They can make the best taco, fajitas, burritos, and guacamole you’ve ever had. But for whatever reason they all have on their menu chicken fingers or a burger. Never tried it. Nor have you. Why? Because that’s not what they specialize in. Thats not what you’re there for! We don't go their for a burger, nor should we. Because they make an awesome taco. Its the same with your GP. They can do a lot, but their burgers are at best mediocre. And this isnt me talking; it’s some good ol evidence. Evidence that found a significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy of non-orthopedic providers, such as GPs (35%), compared to PTs (75%) when compared to MRIs. What's that mean: PTs are much better at Dx your musculoskeletal pain!
Another published research article on PT’s ability to Dx musculoskeletal conditions found about the exact same thing. Their Results: “Experienced physical therapists had higher levels of knowledge in managing musculoskeletal conditions than medical students, physician interns and residents, and all physician (ie GPs) specialists except for orthopaedists”. 
BOOM: mind blown!
Ok, so hopefully the point is made (If you don't know, now you know)! Now you know that you can go directly to a PT to get a good answer. And not just an answer, but better outcomes/results. According to a research report published Jan 2014 there’s “significant and clinically meaningful findings across studies that satisfaction and outcomes were superior, and numbers of physical therapy visits, imaging ordered, medications prescribed, and additional non–physical therapy appointments were less in cohorts receiving physical therapy by direct access compared with referred episodes of care”.
So in review you have two options(assuming you're not ready to go under the knife):
Option1: You can either go to GP, which plays the “wait and see”. You come back two weeks later and still no better. He sends you to PT or an orthopedic specialist(which takes another week plus); both having adequate skills to figure out what's wrong. You head to the ortho. They do some imaging, maybe just an xray, to confirm that you will be fine if you get some PT. Now you're close to a month out, still no better, likely worse. How'se that make you feel?
Option2: Go to a PT with direct access (I know a few), get an answer and understanding of how it happened, and most importantly start your care to pain relief and return to your prior level of function (and usually better than before). Typically be done well before you would of started your PT anyway.
So what's your answer???
If you chose Option 2...We (and chuck norris) agree!
Once last small point: You should be assured a direct access PT will not treat you if things don't seem right or more serious for us to handle (what we call red flags) or if we think you may need to see a surgeon or get imaging. If you don't get significantly better in two weeks, we can't by law keep seeing you.
In conclusion, if you're having muscle pain and want the fastest results, think about seeking out a PT FIRST.
