Wondering how to make physical therapy rehabilitation as effective as possible? These tips will help you get the most out of every minute you spend in therapy as you recover from your injury.
After any sort of injury or surgery,
physical therapy rehabilitation is a must for a full recovery. Your therapist will help you retrain and re-strengthen your muscles so that you regain full or close to full use of them again. Without this regimen, you will struggle to get back to your normal activities, yet if you do not become an active participant in the process, it will be time wasted.
First, dress the part. You are going to be stretching, moving, and working during your sessions, so wear appropriate clothing. Loose fitting, comfortable clothing and good shoes are the best option. Depending on the area of your injury, you may get sweaty during some of your exercises, so keep that in mind. Also, make sure that your therapist can access your injured area. For instance, if you are having sessions to rehabilitate your knee, shorts or pants that can roll up past the knee are necessary so the therapist can touch your knee to perform some treatments or exercises.
Next, make sure you and your therapist have clearly defined goals for your physical therapy rehabilitation. Do you need your pain to be gone, or are you simply looking to get back to work? Do you need to be able to play sports again, or are your daily activities a little tamer? The answers to these questions will enable your therapist to plan the best possible treatment protocol to meet your needs.
Give 100 percent at every session, and make sure you arrive on time, because your therapist has a busy schedule just like you. This is the best possible way to rehabilitate those muscles and ligaments that were injured. However, if something you are doing causes pain, be careful to explain that pain to your therapist. Some pains are fine and are part of the healing process, but others are not. You do not want to injure yourself further as a result of your therapy, so be open and honest about any pain you experience.
Your therapist will give you exercises to do at home. This is a vital part of physical therapy rehabilitation. If you go to all of your sessions but do none of your exercises at home, you are wasting your time and your money. You will not heal. Follow these prescribed exercises to a “t,” and ask any questions you have when you go to your sessions. The more religiously you do your exercises, the faster you will recover. Of course, if anything is causing a tremendous amount of pain, stop doing that particular exercise until you see your therapist.
Remember, when it comes to physical therapy rehabilitation, you will get as much out of the process as you are willing to put in. the harder you work, the faster you will get better. The less effort you put into it, the less likely your chances of recovery are. If you want to be pain free and back to your normal activities, give yourself completely and totally to your sessions.
