The Dual Role of PT in Personal Injury Cases
Physical therapy plays a dual role in personal injury litigation that most patients — and many attorneys — don't fully appreciate. On the clinical side, PT is essential for restoring function, reducing pain, and preventing chronic disability. On the legal side, the physical therapy record is one of the richest sources of objective functional data in the entire case file.
A well-documented PT course includes quantitative range of motion measurements at every visit, functional deficit tracking (how the patient's ability to perform specific activities changes over time), outcome scores using validated instruments like the Oswestry Disability Index or the DASH questionnaire, and a final functional status assessment. This data builds a longitudinal picture of impairment that supports both economic damages (lost wages, future care costs) and non-economic damages (pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life).
What MAIC's Physical Therapy Documentation Includes
At MAIC's physical therapy department, every session is documented with goniometric range of motion measurements in all planes of motion for the affected body parts, functional capacity testing as indicated, pain rating scales with consistency tracking, specific activity limitations documented by the patient, and treatment response data comparing each session to the baseline evaluation.
This level of documentation is not standard at general outpatient physical therapy facilities, which typically use abbreviated SOAP notes optimized for insurance billing rather than litigation support. MAIC's PT documentation is designed from the outset to survive deposition scrutiny and support the damages analysis.
Impairment Ratings from Physical Therapy
At the conclusion of a physical therapy course — or at maximum medical improvement — MAIC's physical therapists can perform a formal functional capacity evaluation (FCE) producing an AMA-guideline impairment rating. This impairment rating quantifies the percentage of whole-person impairment attributable to the injury and provides a standardized metric for damages calculations in personal injury and civil litigation.
No-Fault and No-Fault Coverage for PT
Physical therapy is fully covered under both New York No-Fault insurance and No-Fault for injury-related rehabilitation. MAIC bills directly to all NY No-Fault carriers and the WCB — no out-of-pocket cost for PI patients. Call (888) 991-5290 to schedule a PT evaluation at our Bronx facility.