Friday Morning at 9:20am: At this time, our Manahawkin location is open.  But Elisheva reports travel on Route 72 is difficult.  If you elect to attend your appointment, please drive with great care.  Due to the large number of cancellations this morning, we have elected to open our Toms River location at approximately 11:00am.  This will allow the landscapers to hopefully clear the parking lot.  If there are any changes, we will note them here.

Friday Morning at 7:00 am:  At this time, we anticipate opening for regular business hours.  However my street has not been plowed.  Please call ahead to ensure we are indeed open.  Travel safely.  Please stay tuned to this website for any further updates.

Thursday Evening 7:20pm: Some sources are indicating yet another round of heavy snow tonight.  We will be updating this website tomorrow morning by 7am to indicate any potential change in scheduling for tomorrow (Friday).  Let's hope the weather cuts us all a break and we escape any additional significant accumulation.  We hope everyone is warm and safe in their homes this evening.  This will be a winter to remember!

Thursday at 11:20am:  One additional note, the parking lot is still snow and slush filled with about 4-5 inches of accumulation.  They are currently working on clearing the lot, but are unsure as to when it will be completed.  If you are concerned about being able to navigate the parking lot, please call to reschedule.  Otherwise we look forward to seeing you at your normal scheduled time.

Thursday at 10:41am Toms River Location ONLY:  I have made my way to the office and as it stands now, barring significantly worsening conditions we WILL be open today for normally scheduled operating hours.  If you are unable to keep your appointment due to road conditions in your neighborhood, please call to reschedule.  We are currently evaluating being open on Saturday to accommodate patients who are unable to keep their appointments today.

Major roadways are now currently wet with some slush accumulation but are drivable.  It is possible conditions could worsen as the day progresses based on current weather projections.  If you do decide to venture out, please drive safely.

Thursday at 8:21am - As it stands right now heavy snow is falling and due to the weather conditions, Future Physical Therapy in Manahawkin will be closed today.  We are currently calling patients scheduled for today to reschedule to Friday.

A decision for our Toms River location is still pending and we expect to make a final decision around 10:30am.

Let's hope the weather folks are wrong and all we will get is rain.  

1:30 pm Wednesday update:  Due to the deteriorating weather conditions expected to even worsen as this afternoon goes on, we will be closing at 4pm.  We are currently calling the few remaining patients on the schedule to re-schedule their appointments.  Let's hope tomorrow is a better day!

7:00 am update:  

It is still rain to a wintry mix.  We will be opening at our regularly scheduled 8:30 am.  Please stay tuned to this webpage for further updates.  A blizzard warning remains in effect.  If conditions worsen it is possible we will be forced to close later in the day.

Wednesday Morning, February 10, 2010 at 6:30 am

It is currently raining, watching the weather forecast which is still predicting heavy snow with a blizzard warning.  Will make a decision regarding the schedule by 7:30 am.  Please stay tuned to the website.

Tuesday Night February 9, 2010 at 9:24 pm

The snow has commenced and is falling moderately heavy.  At this time no decision has been made regarding any potential closing or delays for our Toms River location.  Please return to this page for further updates.  

(Commentary: This is getting rather ridiculous.  This isn't supposed to happen at the Jersey Shore)

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While it is said often that “Laughter is the best medicine” this story from the New York Times demonstrates that perhaps the best medicine is in fact EXERCISE.

Phys Ed: How Exercising Keeps Your Cells Young - Well Blog - NYTimes.com

The article describes how recent research has shown that exercising keeps cells young by preventing shortening of their telomeres.  Physical Therapists are well educated in helping you to create a personalized and individualized exercise program that will help to improve your strength, endurance and flexibility so that you can fully participate in the important activities in your life whether they be work or play.

Your Physical Therapist at Future Physical Therapy, PC will be more than happy to help you achieve your fitness objectives.  All you need to do is contact us and make an appointment.

Therapy benefit cap looms over patients and providers as healthcare bill stalled - TheHill.com

Sunday at 12:14 pm:  At this time it appears we will be open for our regularly scheduled business hours.

Please monitor this post as we will post any information here related to any potential weather related schedule changes or closing for Monday, February 8th, 2010 due to weather conditions related to the pending blizzard conditions expected.

As of the posting of this information we currently anticipate being open for our normal business hours on Monday, February 8th, 2010.

While much of the course was devoted to rehabilitation of the post-surgical Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructed knee the information also had significant relevance to many of the other knee conditions that we see for rehabilitation.  Some of these conditions include the patellofemoral or anterior knee pain patient, menisectomy and meniscus repairs, total knee replacements or the arthritic or unstable knee.  If you have any of these conditions, you can be certain that the care you will be provided is based on the most current and effective information available so that you can return to your normal active lifestyle.

As always, the therapists at Future Physical Therapy are always available to answer any questions you may have regarding your rehabilitation needs.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A coalition of organizations representing consumers, health professionals and providers recently sent a letter to Congressional Leadership, calling for the immediate reinstatement of the exceptions process for Medicare Part B outpatient therapy services. Without such efforts, thousands of Medicare beneficiaries will exceed arbitrary limitations on physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology services.

"There is a critical need for uninterrupted Medicare therapy benefits, and we urge Congress to protect America's vulnerable populations from the adverse effects of arbitrary financial caps on medically-necessary rehabilitation services for Medicare beneficiaries," stated R. Scott Ward, PT, PhD, President of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

"The long term care profession is deeply committed to enhancing the quality of care and services provided to high-acuity patients in our facilities, such as those patients recovering from strokes and joint replacements, and access to therapy services plays an integral role," stated Bruce Yarwood, President and CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA).

The letter from industry leaders indicates that 14.5 percent of Medicare beneficiaries who receive rehabilitation services per year are estimated to exceed the cap, and once the arbitrary limit on coverage is reached, many individuals with disabilities and senior citizens may have to forego necessary care.

"Patient needs are not arbitrary – and monetary caps on therapy do not take into account the importance of rehabilitation when it comes to returning Medicare beneficiaries to good health," stated Tommie L. Robinson, Jr. PhD, CCC-SLP, President of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). "Current law and its arbitrary ceiling for therapies limits access to care, and hinders Medicare beneficiaries' ability to recuperate."

According to the letter, Congress has repeatedly responded six times in the past to prevent Medicare beneficiaries from being negatively impacted by the therapy cap policy. This is a redundant task, organizational leaders said, that only temporarily resolves the issue, and ignores the need to permanently fix this problem for Medicare beneficiaries. While both the House and Senate versions of health care reform legislation addressed the therapy cap by expending the exceptions process for a short period of time, failure to enact reform has put beneficiaries who require rehabilitation after an illness or injury at considerable risk.

The letter also urges Congress to review options for repeal of the therapy caps as it prepares to modify its health care reform legislative proposal. Currently, Representatives Xavier Becerra (D-CA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) have authored legislation to repeal the therapy caps, Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2009 (HR 43), which currently has one hundred and thirty cosponsors. A companion bill (S 46), introduced by Senators John Ensign (R-NV), Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), has twenty six cosponsors.

"We thank these Congressional champions for leading the fight in Congress to protect Medicare beneficiaries' access to critical rehabilitative services they need and deserve," stated Penelope Moyers Cleveland, EdD, OTR/L, BCMH, FAOTA, President of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).

To obtain a copy of the letter, please contact Katherine Lehman at 202-898-2816.

Organizations signing the letter:

American Assoc. of Homes & Services for the Aging

American Association of People with Disabilities

American Health Care Association

American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association

American Music Therapy Association

American Occupational Therapy Association

American Physical Therapy Association

American Speech-Language Hearing Association

Amputee Coalition of America

Autism Society

Brain Injury Association of America

Council for Learning Disabilities

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund

Easter Seals

Family Voices

National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors

National Association of Social Workers

National Association of State Head Injury Administrators

National Association for the Support of Long-Term Care

National Disability Rights Network

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

National Spinal Cord Injury Association

Private Practice Section of the American Physical Therapy Association

PTPN (National network of independent rehab practices)

The Arc of the United States

The Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs

United Cerebral Palsy

United Spinal Association

World Institute on Disability

SOURCE American Health Care Association

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The article ACL Rupture Leads to Changes in Brain Function recently published on Medscape points out how what might seem like a simple orthopedic injury can  have far reaching consequences and more importantly how it can impact the rehabilitation process.

According to the article based on research by Dr. Eleni Kapreli, when performing activities when undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) it becomes readily apparent that this particular injury requires attention to more than just the local joint and muscle function but also requires that attention is paid to the patient’s ability to adapt to changes in their own kinesthetic senses or in other words their ability to tell what position their joints are in.

To fully appreciate how important the rehabilitative process is to orthopedic injuries I invite you to read the whole article linked above.  The physical therapists at Future Physical Therapy, PC will certainly keep this in mind as we add this additional information to our evidence based approach to rehabilitation.