Low Back Physical Therapy — Done From Home

Low Back Physical Therapy,

Done From Home

Work directly with a licensed, board-certified physical therapist to diagnose and treat your back pain without missing work or time with family.

How It Works


Step 1. Back Pain Screen

Step 2. Telehealth Evaluation

Step 3. Rehab at Home

Jennifer’s Results With PT From Home

Jennifer dealt with low back pain for over 4 years — despite being a personal trainer who understood fitness inside and out.

She initially questioned whether physical therapy from home could truly identify and fix the root cause of her pain. These are her results.

Highlights:

  • Returned to high-intensity workouts pain-free in 2 months
  • Only 3 telehealth appts needed (20 minutes each)
  • Rehab completed on her schedule entirely from home

Step 1. Back Pain Screen (Free)

Excerpt from a personalized video response

(Audio removed)

Your physical therapy process begins with a focused 5-question back pain screen.

Within 24 hours of completing the screen, I review your responses and send you a personalized video explaining:

1. Which structure is most likely causing your pain — muscle, joint, or disc.

2. The first exercise to begin treating your back pain.

3. Whether telehealth or in-person care is more appropriate.

Takes ~2 minutes

Step 2. Telehealth Evaluation

If your back pain screen confirms you’re a good candidate for treatment from home, I’ll invite you to schedule a telehealth evaluation where we’ll review your full history and perform a comprehensive movement assessment.

No equipment is required. Anything that can’t be evaluated live can be recorded and sent afterward for detailed review.

What's Included:

Root Cause Diagnosis

The back pain screen in Step 1 helps identify the structure producing your pain. 

A telehealth evaluation takes this a step further by determining why that structure became irritated in the first place.

Common root causes we assess include:

1. Mobility restrictions

2. Technique errors

3. Strength deficits

4. Poor loading patterns

5. Suboptimal recovery habits

Rehab Plan

An outline of the key exercises and progressions needed to resolve your back pain and prevent it from returning.

Return-To-Activity Progression

A criteria-based progression outlining when and how to safely return to lifting, running, or sport.

Immediate Pain-Relief Strategies

Together we identify specific movements and modifications that reduce symptoms immediately, allowing you to train more comfortably while long-term rehab is underway.

No equipment is required, but if you do have a garage gym like Jennifer, we can incorporate it into the evaluation.

Step 3. Rehab at Home

After your telehealth evaluation, we'll translate your rehab plan into structured, follow-along PT sessions.

You'll complete your PT sessions on your own schedule at home or in the gym — allowing you to rehab your injury without missing work or time with family.

Throughout your rehab, I monitor your progress and you’ll have direct access to me via message, phone, and video for form review and answering any questions that come up.

Your rehab program is built around the findings from your telehealth evaluation and evolves as you improve.

Meet Your Physical Therapist

➤ U.S. Army Physical Therapist: For over 7 years, I’ve helped tactical athletes with diverse physical demands return to high-level performance.

➤ 100+ Patients Treated Remotely: As the PT for a geographically dispersed unit, I routinely diagnose and treat musculoskeletal injuries via live video.

➤ Low Back Pain Specialist: Before becoming a PT, I experienced severe lower back pain and struggled to get clear answers. This has driven my career-long focus on accurately diagnosing and treating back pain.

Dr. Brandon Launstein

U.S. Army Physical Therapist & Founder of Function Fix

The Benefits of PT From Home vs In-Person

Save Time

No commuting, waiting rooms, or rigid appointment schedules.

Save Money

Pay for focused care — not clinic overhead and unnecessary visits.

Better Long-Term Outcomes

Focus on therapy that yields lasting change instead of short-term relief.

FAQs

Is physical therapy done from home as effective as in-person?

For the majority of cases of low back pain, PT done from home is just as effective as in-person.

Diagnosing the root cause of back pain is based on assessing range-of-motion, strength, movement quality, and load history — all of which can be accurately evaluated via video. While some body regions require hands-on testing to fully diagnose (for example, certain knee injuries), the low back does not.

Similarly, long-term improvement comes from accurate diagnosis, progressive strength training, movement correction, and smart load management — all of which can be effectively delivered remotely. Hands-on interventions like massage, dry needling, and manipulation can provide short-term symptom relief, but they are not what drives lasting change. When appropriate, similar symptom-relief strategies can also be performed independently at home.

And unlike many clinic-based programs, your rehab plan is built around the equipment you already have, making it easier to maintain your progress long term rather than relying on clinic-specific setups.

That said, certain situations — such as significant nerve-related leg weakness, recent spine surgery, or severe functional limitations — are better managed in-person. If I ever see something that requires in-person care, I’ll tell you immediately and help you navigate next steps.

What if I need an X-Ray or MRI?

Most back pain does not require imaging to diagnose or treat — and part of my role is determining when it is and isn’t necessary.

During your back pain screen and telehealth evaluation, I screen for red flags or symptoms that would warrant imaging. If it’s appropriate, I’ll explain what type of imaging is needed and what the next steps would be based on the results.

In the majority of cases, however, back pain can be diagnosed and treated effectively without an X-ray or MRI.

What happens after I complete the back pain screen?

Within 24 hours you’ll receive a personalized video explaining which spinal structure is most likely causing your pain and the first exercise to begin treating it.

If your back pain looks like something that can be treated from home, I’ll then invite you to schedule a telehealth evaluation. See "Step 2" in the middle of this page for more details.

Submitting the free back pain screen does not commit you to performing a telehealth evaluation or continued physical therapy — it simply gives you clarity on your situation and outlines options for your next steps.

How much does physical therapy from home cost?

Pricing depends on the complexity of your condition and the estimated length of care, which we determine during your telehealth evaluation.

Most cases are resolved in 3–5 focused video assessments, rather than the 12–24 visits commonly scheduled in traditional clinics. Because your rehab is completed independently, appointments are used strategically for diagnosis, progression, and plan adjustments — not supervision. With fewer total appointments and no clinic overhead, most patients pay roughly 1/3 to 1/2 the total cost of cash-based in-person physical therapy.

Insurance-based PT costs vary widely depending on your plan, but many patients still spend less overall due to the reduced number of visits.

Function Fix is also pay-as-you-go, so you’re never locked into large treatment packages or long-term commitments.

Do you take insurance?

Function Fix operates as a direct-pay practice and does not bill insurance.

This keeps treatment lean and outcome-driven, guided by clinical need instead of maximizing authorization limits.

Many patients use HSA or FSA funds for payment. I can provide a superbill for potential out-of-network reimbursement, and I’m happy to review your specific options based on your insurance plan during your telehealth evaluation.

What days & times are appointments available?

Telehealth evaluations and follow-up sessions are available 7 days a week between 5am–11pm EST.

Most of your rehab is completed independently on your own schedule, which means appointments are used strategically for diagnosis, progression, and plan adjustments — not supervised exercise time. Due to this, most cases are resolved in just 3–5 focused sessions.

This allows you to get expert care without missing work or time with family.

Spend 2 Minutes. Save Hours of Frustration.

Spend 2 Minutes.

Save Hours of Frustration.

Stop sifting through generic advice online. Answer 5 questions and get clear, personalized guidance specific to your back pain.

Free. No obligation.