How Much Does Physical Therapy Cost for Soft Tissue Injuries? Tips to Get Effective, Affordable Care

Soft tissue injuries like plantar fasciitis, patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), and tennis elbow are common. They can be a significant disruption to your daily life. Many people with these chronic pain conditions turn to physical therapy to help with rehabilitation and recovery - and for good reason: physical therapy is non-invasive, and it's quite effective at bringing you full resolution when done right and consistently.

While it's a proven treatment option, access can be tricky due to costs. Insurance coverage helps, but it can bring its own complications. So, here's an overview of what you can expect when it comes to the financial side of physical therapy, plus what you can do to get high-quality care at an affordable cost.

Even after meeting your deductibles, you most likely have co-pays for each visit. Physical therapy co-pays typically range from $20 to $60 per session, but this really depends on the insurance plan. A 2019 study - pre-COVID and pre-inflation - found a higher co-pay of $75. For a condition that takes 10 sessions to resolve, you’d be looking at $500 or more, even with insurance.

Most studies that look at the cost of physical therapy for musculoskeletal pain conditions only look at what you pay the PT office. In reality, you may have other costs:

• Your PT may prescribe adjuncts to their treatment: a foot brace, Plantar Fasciitis insoles (orthotics), or a Tennis Elbow Brace, for example.

• Your transportation costs to and from the clinic, like gas.

• It’s indirect, but the opportunity cost of time spent commuting to and being at the PT office can be significant.

How long physical therapy takes to get you back to your pain-free life has a direct impact on your PT cost. Though effective, physical therapy does take a while to get you to full resolution, because it works by transforming the damaged tissue and building up strength that supports and protects the sensitive tissue, both of which take time.

For example, how long does Tennis Elbow last with physical therapy? Typically, it takes about 8-10 weeks to get to full resolution. Other injuries, like Runner’s Knee (Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome), can take 12 weeks to fully resolve.

If you’re seeing a competent physical therapist, you should start feeling the difference in your pain and function right away, but it’s not unusual to need several months of appointments, especially if you have a severe injury, or have developed other issues from your original injury. That directly affects how much you pay for physical therapy.

A related question is how much time you should budget for each PT session. This also depends on the clinic's philosophy and what your treatment involves. A rule of thumb is 30-90 minutes, with your initial visit typically being on the longer side, as the physical therapist needs to gather your history, diagnose, and make a treatment plan before you can start the recovery work.

• Plantar Fasciitis and Posterior Tibial Tendonitis (PTTD): most people with these foot and ankle injuries need about 6 to 10 sessions. Your treatment regimen should focus on soft tissue mobilization (massage), taping to reduce the load and relieve pain, and strengthening exercises specific to Plantar Fasciitis or PTTD.

• Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (Runner’s Knee): a more complicated injury, Runner’s Knee usually requires 8 to 12 sessions. Your PT will correct muscle imbalances around the knee with knee massages and improve alignment during movement, along with strengthening the whole kinetic chain.

• Tennis Elbow: for Tennis Elbow, physical therapy may take 8 to 10 sessions. Your PT should work directly on the injured tendon (i.e., elbow massage), guide you through strengthening exercises, and help relieve pain and reduce the load through Tennis Elbow taping (load management).

While the costs of physical therapy can add up, there are several ways to access effective treatment at a more affordable price.

This is our #1 recommendation, if you have Plantar Fasciitis, PTTD, Tennis Elbow, or Runner’s Knee.

💡Take the relief finder quiz here to see if an Alleviate System is the right choice for your pain.

Our comprehensive Systems were built by a veteran PT to bring his effective treatment methods to everyone’s home, at a fraction of the in-person physical therapy costs. They’re also effective: users report an average of 60% pain reduction over 6 weeks. If your issue is not one of these, keep reading for other tips.

1. Look for clinics offering payment plans: Some physical therapy clinics offer flexible payment options, allowing you to pay in installments. This doesn’t reduce your overall physical therapy costs, but can make it more manageable financially.

2. Check for free or low-cost clinics: Some community health centers, universities, or local non-profits offer physical therapy services at reduced rates. Unsurprisingly, these options can have months-long wait lists, but it may be worth researching.

3. Telehealth physical therapy: Some providers now offer virtual physical therapy sessions, which can sometimes be more affordable than in-person visits. These sessions are especially effective for follow-up care and routine check-ins.

4. Make sure you’re getting the right treatment : the unfortunate reality is that the quality of physical therapy care in the US is inconsistent. In your first appointment, your PT should listen to you, understand your history and goals, explain the treatment plan, set clear expectations for how long your physical therapy treatment will take, and make you feel a tangible difference already from whatever treatment work they do on you. If your initial appointment is missing any of these components, it’s possible that you don’t have the right PT. The wrong treatment approach means your recovery will take longer, and that means it’ll cost you more. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t hesitate to look for a better fit.

5. Be consistent : Once you start your treatment work, be consistent with your treatment routine. It’s sometimes a challenge to make time for your PT exercises, but consistency pays off. Too many “cheat days” and you can lose your hard-earned progress - and that means your cost will be more.

6. Maximize insurance benefits: If you have insurance, make sure to fully understand your coverage. Some plans may offer discounts for patients who visit certain in-network clinics or meet certain health benchmarks. Other plans require some hoop-jumping to get your particular treatment paid for.

7. Avoid DIY rehab: yes, you can download a PDF of Tennis Elbow exercises, roll a lacrosse ball underfoot for quick Plantar Fasciitis pain relief, or try a generic knee brace to deal with Runner’s Knee pain. These DIY options are cheaper on the surface. However, lacking the guidance, structure, and precision of in-person physical therapy and the Alleviate Method, these options keep you in pain longer, and can end up costing you more.

Physical therapy costs can be prohibitive, especially without insurance, keeping too many people in pain for too long. And that’s just one barrier to access we founded Alleviate to resolve: logistical challenges, long wait, inconsistent results are also fundamental issues in the US physical therapy landscape.

Leaning on our co-founder's 20+ years of clinical practice, we've created at-home solutions for Plantar Fasciitis, PTTD, Tennis Elbow, and Runner's Knee so more people can access high-quality physical therapy at an affordable cost, and reach full resolution more quickly. Get started today!

Alleviate was founded by a patient-clinician duo to bring the effective chronic pain treatment from physical therapy offices to everyone's home. With our all-in-one Systems, you can easily follow the Alleviate Method to treat your pain, without the hassle and cost of traditional physical therapy.