Get PT first and save time and money! Getting an MRI before physical therapy can cost on average almost $5,000 more than getting PT first. Furthermore, it typically takes an average of 30 days to secure an appointment with a general practitioner, who may not have sufficient time to address your musculoskeletal concern when you get there. Nor do they have the hands-on know-how that a physical therapist has from years of experience guiding people to better health with movement. They are so strapped for time that it's in their better interest, for several reasons—including referral incentives—to send you to an orthopedic surgeon for management of your pain with drugs, injections, surgeries, or other procedures. If a more direct route to recovery is what you're looking for, the numbers are in: Getting PT first can lower your probability of having an opioid prescription, your probability of having advanced imaging services (i.e., MRIs), your chance of having an emergency room visit, and significantly lower your out-of-pocket costs. Don't put your life on hold.