What it is, who it’s for, where to go, and how to pay for it
If you’ve been a part of our journey for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard me talk about intensive physical therapy. I’ve had a lot of questions about intensive PT, so I thought I would put everything together in one resource. Please let me know if you still have any questions!
**And don’t forget, if you’re heading to the program at Now I Can Northeast, you can use the code WONDERS24 for $500 off!**
What is intensive physical therapy?
It’s thanks to intensive sessions that Jaden is able to make snow angels, sit independently in a normal chair, and has recovered his lost mobility from last year’s surgeries. Other families have seen much greater gains, but these little wins have been worth it.
Intensive physical therapy is like a power-packed treatment plan designed for quick progress, especially in kids. It’s not your run-of-the-mill therapy; it’s grounded in the latest research in Exercise Physiology, Sports and Exercise Physiology, Neurology, Motor Control, and Motor Learning. The whole idea revolves around using dynamic strength training, facilitating the learning of new and correct movement patterns through strengthening and functional skills practice. The idea is to retrain the muscles to achieve functional goals at an accelerated rate compared to traditional therapy methods. Instead of revisiting an exercise for twenty minutes once a week, you push through the hard, training the muscles to move beyond. The primary goal of this intensive therapy is to re-train the child’s access and control over strengthened muscle groups, leading to improvements in functional skills and increased independence in activities of daily living.
What does that look like? It varies by location, but it’s typically 3-4 hours a day, for three weeks in a row. That sounds like a lot, but sessions of intensive physical therapy are structured to ensure the patient’s tolerance and encompass various components. They won’t let your kid get too tired or too bored!
Sessions begin with some combination of massage, heat, myofascial release and joint mobilization. Then there are a combination of exercises, dependent on the individual child’s needs, but always focusing on therapeutic exercise and neuromuscular re-education. The exercises are tailored to the patient’s abilities, with gradual changes to build endurance progressively over the three-week duration. Many locations use a TheraSuit to maximize effect.
Who should use intensive physical therapy?
Intensive physical therapy is typically designed for individuals who require a concentrated and accelerated approach to address specific physical challenges – that covers a broad range! Some examples are kids with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, traumatic brain injury (TBI), developmental delays, ataxia, athetosis, spasticity, hypotonia, genetic syndromes.
That’s not a complete list. If you’re not sure, ask your physical therapist if an intensive PT program would be a good fit for you.
Where can I find intensive PT?
Thankfully, intensive PT programs are slowly becoming more common! We just got a program in Pennsylvania this year – which means we no longer have to figure out insurance to travel out of state for therapy! (If you need therapy in PA, use my discount code WONDERS24, and reach out if you need more grant connections)
Here’s a list of the best programs I could find. Thanks to intensivetherapyforkids.com and Our Life After NICU for adding to my list! I know there are more, but they can be hard to find. If you don’t see one near you, I suggest googling your state + “intensive physical therapy.”
U.S.
ALABAMA
Children’s of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
ALASKA
ARIZONA
- Adaptive Movements Pediatric Therapy, Phoenix, AZ
- Breakthrough Therapy, West Valley, AZ
- Gye Di, Phoenix, AZ
CALIFORNIA
- CALI CIMT, Orange County, CA
- LEAP Pediatric, Bakersfield, CA
- Napa Center, Los Angeles, CA
- Starfish Therapies, Burlingame, CA
- Wetherbee Pediatric Therapy, Montrose, CA
COLORADO
CONNECTICUT
D.C.
FLORIDA
- Ability Plus Therapy, Melbourne, FL
- Believe Therapy, Winter Park, FL
- Blossom and Grow, Jacksonville, FL
- Johns Hopkins All Children’s, St. Pete, FL
- Little Leaps PT, Bradenton, FL
- Kids PT By The Sea, Sarasota, FL
- Lamperts Therapy Group, Largo, FL
- Neurowerks, Bonita Springs, Florida
- Pediatric Adventure Therapy, Orlando, Florida
- Pediatric Therapy Services, Brandon & Lakeland, FL
- Spinal Stim with Gerti, Fernandina Beach, FL (Primarily E-Stim)
- The Sensory DPT, Clay County, FL
- Tiny Intensives, Tampa, Florida
- Wolfson Children’s Intensive Therapy Center: Including Daytona Beach, Fleming Island/Clay, Lake City, Tallahassee, and Valdosta.
GEORGIA
- Ability Pediatric Therapy, Clermont, GA
- All About Kids Therapy Services, Lawrenceville and Norcross, GA
- Kids in Motion, Villa Rica, Georgia
- Kidz Therapy Networks, Suwanee, Georgia
- Tender Ones Therapy Services: Including the areas of Dacula and Gainesville.
- Wolfson Children’s Intensive Therapy Center Brunswick, GA
ILLINOIS
- CCS Pediatric Therapy & Family Wellness, Vernon Hills, IL
- Hummingbird Pediatric Therapies, Woodridge, IL
- Napa Center, Chicago, IL
INDIANA
KidtensivePT, Indianapolis, IN
LOUISIANNA
KENTUCKY
MASSACHUSETTS
- Ahoy Baby Physical Therapy and Wellness, Topsfield, MA (Babies and toddlers only)
- Achieve Health & Wellness, Apple Valley, MN
- L.E. MacDonald Physical Therapy, Greater Lowell, MA
- Napa Center, Boston, MA
MICHIGAN
- Cerebral Body LLC, Howell, MI
- Euro-Therapies Family Therapy Center, Pontiac, MI
- Milestones Pediatric Physical Therapy, Southfield, MI
MINNESOTA
- Achieve Health and Wellness, Apple Valley, MN
- Shooting Star Pediatric Physical Therapy, Bloomington, MN
NEBRASKA
Pediatric Therapy Center, Papillion, NE
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Pediatric Therapy Center, Nashua, NH
NEW JERSEY
- Intensive Therapeutics, West Caldwell, NJ
- KidPT, Raritan, NJ
- Rise Pediatric Intensive Therapy, Union and Essex County, NJ
NEW YORK
- Breakthrough Intensive Physical Therapy, Islandia, NY
- Get Your Baby Moving, New York, NY
- Keep Moving Forward Inc, Garden City, NY
- Key to CP, Rochester, NY (CP only)
- More than A Gym, Plainview, NY
- St. Mary’s Children’s Locomotor Program, Queens, NY
NORTH CAROLINA
- All Kids are Perfect, NC (Morrisville, Cary, and Raleigh)
- Move Pediatric Therapy, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Wonder Pediatric Therapy, Jackson, NC
OHIO
OKLAHOMA
- Bethany Children’s Health Center, Bethany, OK
- Elite Pediatric Therapy, Tulsa/Broken Arrow, OK
- JD McCarty Center, Norman, OK
- Let’s Grow Pediatrics, Edmond, OK
OREGON
Children’s Intensive Therapy, Portland, OR
PENNSYLVANIA
- KidsReach4SPeech, Pittsburgh, PA
- Now I Can Foundation Northeast, Lititz, PA (This is where you can use my discount code – WONDERS24)
SOUTH CAROLINA
- Coastal Play 2 Grow, Charleston, SC
- Palm Pediatric Therapy, Charleston, SC (She’ll come to your location)
TENNESSEE
TEXAS
- Beelieve Pediatric Therapy, Ft. Worth, TX
- Beginning Steps Therapy, Richardson, TX
- Comprehensive Therapy Services, Richardson, TX
- Dallas DMI, Dallas, TX (In home)
- Free to Move and Play, Dallas, TX
- Kinactive Kamp, Southlake, TX
- Little Tesoros, Austin,TX
- Local Pediatric Physical Therapy, Katy, TX (Mobile clinic)
- Napa Center, Austin, TX
- The Warren Center, Garland, TX, and Richardson, TX
- Walk This Way USA-Texas, Tomball, TX
- Winter Pediatric Therapy, Houston, TX
UTAH
Intensive Physical Therapy Institute, Salt Lake City, UT
Now I can Foundation, Orem, UT
VIRGINIA
WASHINGTON
WEST VIRGINIA
WISCONSIN
- CI Pediatric Therapy Centers: Including the areas of Madison, Fitchburg, Waunakee, Sun Prairie, Middleton, Verona, Janesville, Cottage Grove, Oregon, Monona, Cross Plains, DeForest, Windsor, Stoughton, Mount Horeb, McFarland, Wausau, and more!
*On the Fly is a unique option with sessions on specific dates around the country.
International
AUSTRALIA
BRAZIL
CANADA
- Kayla’s Children Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Peak Health Kids, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- SMILE Therapy for Kids, Ontario, Canada
UK
How can I pay for intensive Physical Therapy?
While about half of these locations accept insurance, insurance will often only cover one hour of each day, and you’ll still have the copay for that hour. If you’re fortunate enough to have an option in your state, you may be able to use Medicaid. Unfortunately, very few locations accept Medicaid.
The first step is to call and see what you can get covered. Even if they don’t accept your insurance, call your insurance and ask if you can submit the bill.
After you’ve run out of insurance options, it’s time to look into grants. This is time consuming because each grant needs your whole life story, with appropriate documentation, but a few grants can go a long way. Here’s a list of some grant options. Some of them are specific to locations or diagnosis, so make sure you read the fine print before applying.
Alyssa V. Phillips Foundation (Cerebral Palsy)
Community Fund Ohio (Ohio residents)
Friends of Man (Colorado)
Joni & Friends Christian Organization for the Disabled
Joubert Syndrome Foundation (Joubert Syndrome only)
Love from Liam (spina bifida)
Midwest Council for Children with Disabilities (Must be from Illinois, Ohio, or Wisconsin)
Oxford HBOT Kid’s Foundation (Michigan only)
Parker’s Purpose (Ohio only)
Pediatric Feeding Disorders Foundation (Must be a feeding disorder need)
Rylan’s Hope (Wisconsin)
The Megan Weisenbach Foundation
United Healthcare Children’s Foundation
Make it fun!
Medical tourism is trending! If you’re staying in a Ronald McDonald house for three weeks for PT, it’s a great time to slow travel in a new home-away-from-home. This is how we’ve explored St. Pete, Richmond, and Amelia Island! There are also loads of accessible options around Now I Can in PA.