Having EDS means your body works differently.
Shouldn’t your physical therapy work differently too?
At the Chalela Physical Therapy Institute, we approach physical therapy through the lens of neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to adapt and change throughout life. Using biofeedback, our protocol retrains the brain, allowing our patients to improve faulty proprioception, strengthen deep stabilizers, and learn proper physical alignment.
As patients work with us, they learn to protect not only their joints and ligaments but their neurological and vascular systems as well, leading to improvements in their pain levels, neurological symptoms, and overall functioning.
Physical Therapy
Telehealth
Frequently Asked Questions
We no longer take insurance.
Why We’re Cash-Only: Prioritizing Quality Care for Our Patients
At The Chalela Physical Therapy Institute, our top priority is providing the highest quality of care to our patients. To achieve this, we’ve moved to a cash-only model, which allows us to focus entirely on your well-being rather than being restricted by the limitations of insurance companies. Here’s why this shift benefits you:
More Personalized Care
By eliminating the back-and-forth with insurance companies, we can spend more time providing hands-on, individualized care. Our treatments are tailored to meet your specific needs without being limited by what insurance will cover.
Greater Value for Your Money
While insurance may seem like the less expensive option upfront, many patients end up paying for limited services or treatments dictated by insurance rules. With our cash model, you receive comprehensive services that address the root of your issues—giving you more value in the long run. You’ll receive more effective, high-quality treatment, which can lead to quicker progress and fewer overall visits.
Less Administrative Hassle
Our cash-only approach reduces administrative delays and paperwork, allowing us to dedicate more time to your care. This results in more efficient treatment sessions and faster improvements.
Out-of-Network Reimbursement
Although we don’t accept insurance directly, we provide a superbill with all the necessary codes. This allows you to submit an out-of-network claim with your insurance company for potential reimbursement, giving you flexibility while still benefiting from our focused care.
We believe this model allows us to better serve you, providing more freedom to deliver exceptional care that is customized to your needs and goals.
Since transitioning to a cash-only model, we’re excited to offer a much shorter waitlist, and in most cases, we can schedule you within a month. While exact wait times can vary, we’re working diligently to provide our essential therapy services to as many patients as possible. To reserve your spot, head over to the “Get on the Waitlist” tab and secure your place!
We understand the importance of timely care, so we also prioritize getting new patients in through any cancellations that arise—this may significantly reduce your wait time. However, given the high demand for our specialized services, please note that we have a strict cancellation policy in place to ensure we can accommodate as many patients as possible.
Our clinic has an equipment list that can be easily ordered online for your personal use at home, to keep up with what you have learned at therapy in-between appointments or during telehealth visits. Once you are a patient and you have learned how to use the equipment, you will be given access to the list for you to order.
Cranio-cervical instability ranges in severity from mild functional disability to life-threatening instability, and the path of treatment is determined in part by the level of symptom severity. Some cases of CCI require surgery to fuse the skull to the top of the spine to eliminate the instability that causes injury to the brainstem. This surgery has a difficult recovery, with possible but rare complications of hardware failure and a new onset of instability in the joints adjacent to the fusion. For patients who require this surgery, it can relieve many symptoms and improve their quality of life, but for most cases of CCI, our specialized physical therapy can provide the same relief without the risk of complications. As a result, many neurosurgeons require the majority of their CCI patients to try PT for a period of time before agreeing to a fusion. In our clinic, we have had great success in preventing the need for cranio-cervical fusions, and for those who have required fusions, PT can help prevent adjacent segmental instability from occurring. Our approach requires you to commit to working the protocol, completing your exercises between sessions, and giving your neck the time it requires to strengthen, so we encourage you to come in with a positive attitude and a willingness to be patient for the results and do your homework in-between sessions!
Every patient is different, and we tailor our treatment to what each patient requires. Most of our patients come 1-2 times a week at first, with a gradual tapering as they gain strength and knowledge of how to continue this work at home. Some patients traveling from out of town will complete a single session to a few sessions with us consecutively while they are in-town and continue on their own or via telehealth.
We understand life happens and appointments need to be canceled or rescheduled! We do also have a waitlist and want to ensure as many patients as possible are able to be seen. As such, we have a very strict cancellation policy, but are always understanding of emergencies and illnesses. If you need to cancel an appointment, please text us as soon as possible at 843-364-3213 and let us know your reason for cancellation.
- If you need to make any changes to your appointment within one week of the scheduled time, there is a $10 fee.
- If you need to change or cancel your appointment within 48 hours, there is a $50 fee.
- Cancellations or no-shows made within 24 hours of your appointment will incur a $125 fee.
We are a specialty practice that only sees patients who have either EDS or CCI, or are hypermobile and need PT for hypermobility-related concerns. If you are in need of regular PT and do not have any of these conditions, please talk to your doctor about where they recommend you recieve treatment for your physical therapy needs.