Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Physicians Associates.

Thank you for referring your patients to our clinic for treatment. We provide safe, effective, outcome-based treatment. We are grateful for your trust and referrals and take pride in providing amazing care to your patients. We are truly passionate about the work we do.

If you ever have any questions, concerns or need anything, please call or text us at 520.858.0350. You are welcome to email us at info@millermedicalmassage.com. 

What you can expect from us:

After the patient’s first visit, we will write an initial report detailing our findings and treatment plan, we will automatically send the report to you with the patient’s written consent. We will do the same once treatment is complete. We believe that communication with the referring HCP is crucial for the patient’s healthcare coordination.

If the patient does not benefit from our treatment in the first 30 days, we will refer them back to you to discuss other treatment options and/or imaging.

If you need additional massage prescription pads or business cards, please send an email to info@millermedicalmassage.com describing what you need and we will gladly get them to you as soon as possible.

We get to know patients really well. Not only on a physical level, but on an emotional and mental level. Part of the process in our clinic is getting to know the WHOLE person. We have a detailed intake process and we continue to ask questions, keep notes, reassess and refer out when necessary.

Massage Prescription/Referral

You may use our online Medical Massage Prescription (PDF) if you’d like. You may fax that prescription to our office at 520.448.0819 or give it to the patient to bring in. As always, you may use your own referral. If you use your own referral, please make sure to include the diagnosis code(s), number of sessions you recommend, or the frequency + duration recommended, or indicate “at therapist discretion”. Any of these three choices will suffice.

Frequency and Duration of Care

If you are unsure about the frequency and duration of care that your patient should receive, we recommend that you send them in for an initial visit, which includes a 90-minute assessment and their first hands-on manual therapy session. This is where one of our therapists gets a better idea of what the patient needs and can relay that message to both the patient and the referring HCP.

Many healthcare providers in Tucson are unsure of the process of manual therapy/medical massage in relation to injury or pathology. Generally speaking, the work we do is similar to physical therapy– in that the frequency is generally 1-2 times per week for 6-8 weeks. Similarly to physical therapy, we are trying to make long-lasting changes which take some consistency up front along with continuous evaluation and modifications. Some people need less, some people need more, however this is a good rule of thumb to start with.

If you are unsure, you can always write on the referral or prescription “at therapists discretion” or a set number of visits that we can choose according to need and schedules; for example “12 sessions” in lieu of frequency and duration.

Chronic Pain or Limitation

Many people have been living with a postural pattern, pain, injury or limitation for years. In these cases it can take much longer to reverse, correct or relieve long term. A large part of the equation is teaching the patient body awareness, new tools for long term soft-tissue health, self-care routines, modifications of daily routines, sleep and specific positions to avoid.

Acute Injuries

If the injury is acute, for example; an auto injury, work injury or fall from cycling– the plan recommended is often the same, but may vary some due to patient tolerance and scheduling (they likely have multiple appointments they are juggling initially).

How soon after injury can a patient receive manual therapy?

Typically, there won’t be a time that is “too soon”. Inflammation is often the most concerning symptom for many doctors + HCP’s. However, our therapists are very experienced in knowing when it’s appropriate for certain modalities and when it’s not. Generally speaking, when a patient comes in with an acute injury, the treatment is very gentle and does not increase inflammation.

The modalities used are actually really great at reducing inflammation. In addition, the treatment is focused on calming the sympathetic nervous system and awakening the parasympathetic nervous system. In our body of work, we have found that the “shake-up” felt from the injury has their nervous system so activated that the current state of the body won’t really respond much to typical treatment protocols. So, we begin with getting the nervous system to calm down. We have found that this is an essential part of the healing process.

If the patient has broken bones, fractures, open wounds, is recently out of surgery– they are not automatically contraindicated for receiving body work. If the patient can make it into the office, then we can usually accommodate their needs. We can do seated work, use props and pillows, work the compensating areas, avoid certain areas, coach and educate them.

We believe that patients should get soft-tissue care right away.

The longer that a person waits to get care, the longer the recovery can take. We want to get access to the tissues before the scar tissue really starts to set in, about the 4-6 week mark post injury or surgery. Once scar tissue sets is, the care can take longer and be much more involved and is more likely to create chronic pain.

If you have more questions, check out our FAQ section for providers.