3 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Physical Therapy

Whether you’re in physical therapy for post-op rehab, an injury you sustained, or simply pain related issues, there’s a lot you can do to get the most out of your treatment plan.

Yes, we know, physical therapy can sometimes be a burden. It’s another thing you have to add to your to-do list, and it can come up at unexpected and even inconvenient times. But despite this, it’s in your best interest to take your treatment plan seriously so you can come out on the other side good as new, and in some cases, better than when you started!

To some patients, they think it’s enough to simply show up for all of their appointments. But to really get the most out of your physical therapy, there are 3 things you can do to help yourself really recover from whatever sent you to physical therapy in the first place.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Physical Therapy

Listen to Your Physical Therapist

Your physical therapist is the expert, that’s why you were referred to them. If they tell you you shouldn’t do certain activities for a few weeks, then don’t. Really, don’t.

They’re not telling you to skip your team’s soccer finals because they want to be mean, they’re telling you because they care about your recovery. On the flip side, if they tell you you should do something, it’s important that you try to do it.

Communicate with Your Physical Therapist

Much of physical therapy is stretching and exercises that will help you strengthen the afflicted area so you can improve mobility. If you physical therapist instructs you to do something that causes pain, speak up!

Naturally, some of your exercises will cause mild discomfort because you’re working out a part of the body that is still recovering. But anything beyond minimal discomfort should be communicated to your physical therapist. They’ll be happy to modify the exercise, or come up with something completely new.

Physical therapy is meant to help you, not hurt you!

Actually Do Your At Home Exercises

It’s likely that your physical therapist will send you home with homework. And if you want to make the most out of your physical therapy treatment plan, it’s important to do it.

You are probably only seeing your physical therapist once, maybe twice, a week. If you want to see progress, then you need to stretch and exercise when you’re not in the clinic too. You don’t go to the gym once a week expecting to see insane muscles in a month, right?

The same is true of physical therapy. You need to put in the time if you want to see progress.

Physical therapy can do wonders for you body, but only if you put in the time and effort. If you want to recover from your surgery, injury, or are just looking forward to living life pain-free, use these three tips to get the most out of your physical therapy program.


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