I would not recommend this Physical Therapy office; they are disorganized, dirty, and *extremely unprofessional*.
There are two physical therapists at the Oceanside location, Clare Koerner (PTA) and Adrian, Adrian is the better of the two. The first few sessions both Clare Koerner (PTA) and Adrian (PT) used the ultrasound wand on my lower back; come to find out they aren't supposed to use the ultrasound wand over hardware because it heats up the metal which isn't good for my recovery let alone arthritis in that area. I disclosed all of my surgeries and hardware while filling out my initial paperwork. Incompetent. Clare Koerner (PTA) likes to tell patients she is 'so gentle.' Warning, her massages are not as 'gentle' as she will lead you to believe. I was in a ton of pain over the weekend following one of her massages. I was confined to my apartment and extremely frustrated because I told her she was hurting me and she ignored what I was saying, giving me ice after which ultimately just stiffened me up for my drive home. After this, I came in for my usual appointment and she started tugging at the collar of my sweater, which obviously hurt (especially after her 'gentle' massage. Hello, *neck injury!) so I stopped her hand from pulling at my sweater and explained that it hurt. Long story short she insisted she wouldn't work with me again because I touched her 'inappropriately'... by protecting myself from further harm/discomfort I was inappropriate? Needless to say, I was relieved because I didn't want to work with such an incompetent Physical Therapist. I spoke to other employees about this situation and this particular employee rolled their eyes, smirked and explained 'that's just how she is'.
I really enjoyed the electrical muscle stimulating (EMS) machine you are hooked up to at the beginning of your appointment. That being said, they use those self-adhesive gel pads way past the point of expiration. The pads are so old and disgusting (sometimes with hair embedded in the adhesive side) that they won't stick to you. Warning for those with sensitive skin, I've broken out from these pads to many times to count.
Jacob, the acupuncturist, is a trip! Just to give you an idea, when you walk into the back room they have 5 tables set up for patients to receive treatment - its all open except for a curtain if the person wants some shred of privacy during treatment... On my first day of treatment, Jacob walked up to me and tells me that Dr. Villarica (whom never mention anything about acupuncture) said that acupuncture was part of my treatment plan. Handing me a pen and pointing to a signature line He requested I sign a release that was clipped to the board he was holding. Confused, since I signed all the releases for Comprehensive Healthcare Group, I requested to see the document so I could read it before signing. He said I didn't need to see it, it was like everything else I had already signed, they just forgot to give it to me with the initial paperwork. This alone threw me off because 1. Who doesn't request time to read what they are signing and 2. He is required, by law, to provide me with a copy of all of my medical records so I would need a copy regardless. I told him he could either leave me the document to review or not. He did. I walked into Dr. Hoffer's office and, still flustered explained the situation. Dr. Hoffer said Jacob wasn't part of my treatment plan and I didn't have to get treatment from him. Jacob isn't part of Oceanside's Comprehensive Healthcare Group. He rents offices from CHG. He is a separate entity.
Shortly following the situation with Clare Koerner (PTA) I was finishing up with my session for the day and was walking towards the front office only to walk into Clare and Teresa talking shit about me. What are we in high school? These are two older women talking shit about a younger patient! They certainly exude professionalism.
I requested my file. When I received the paperwork I read through it and noticed that Clare Hayden Koerner (PTA) was not only signing my notes but reporting that she would ask me how I was feeling/work with me and made up my response to reflect that I was improving along with claiming she did things therapeutically that she did not.
If you are doing your research on this Physical Therapy office, I would strongly suggest you go elsewhere. This place is a mill. simply there to do paperwork, not to help you improve. Good luck on your treatment journey! read more