Important Questions You May Have About Physical Therapy

Have you been injured recently? Has your doctor told you that you are going to need therapy before you are able to perform everyday tasks once again? It can be difficult to admit to yourself that you need physical therapy, but physical therapy is a great tool that will help you on the road to recovery. But even if you're excited about starting sessions so that you can regain function, you may still have questions that your doctor didn't answer or that you forgot to ask. Instead of having to wait to ask your therapist, here are the answers to some questions you may have.

Will all sessions be the same length?

 By now, you have probably already booked at least the first physical therapy session. They may have told you to set aside an hour or even two hours of your day for this first session, but this may only be a guess. A therapy session isn't always marked by time but is instead marked by the tasks that you are able to perform. If you are re-learning how to climb stairs, it may take you a half hour to climb up the practice stairs and another half hour to get back down again. Once this is complete, your therapy session may be over for the day. But if it happens to take you 45 minutes to get up the steps, the therapists will continue to work with you until the task is complete.

Will it hurt?

 Depending on the type of injury and the therapy that you're doing, it may start out as uncomfortable or even somewhat painful at times. However, your therapist will have ways to help you manage and overcome any pain. In many instances, the pain will start to fade as physical therapy progresses and you are better able to perform the therapy tasks. Always let your therapist know about your pain levels, as extreme pain may mean that you're not yet ready for the task that's been set.

How long does a person have to continue physical therapy?

 This will depend not only on your injury but also on you. If you've been partially paralyzed, it could take you months to regain full use of your limbs again. On the other hand, diligent work during not only your physical therapy sessions but also any home exercises that they give you may speed up the process significantly. Months may turn into weeks. On the other hand, the reverse is true. You may have a bright prognosis from everyone, but if you are apathetic during physical therapy and don't do your home exercises regularly, weeks could instead turn into months.