Learn more about the PT process with Dr. Katie!

TLDR:  There are common questions about physical therapy and how it works, especially when you first are getting started.  The basic answers of these questions are that everybody’s physical therapy looks different when you look at it closely. In general though, you will have an initial evaluation that your PT will take you through to help to determine your best plan of care - which will determine how many sessions you need and your specific home exercise program as well.  You do not need to have an injury or pain to come to PT - you can come to PT to prevent these things too!  PT should not be painful and if you are experiencing pain, talk to your PT.  You will have some version of workouts/exercises that you will continue to do even after PT to help you to minimize your risk of future injury again!  If you have your own questions, reach out to us today!

When getting started with physical therapy, there can be a lot of different questions that you may have - especially if you have never been in PT before.  Physical therapy will look differently for everybody - it depends on what brings you to PT in the first place.  In today’s Fit to the Core Blog, we are going to address some of the common questions that people tend to have about starting PT!  If you have other questions that you think of, you can always reach out to me directly and feel free to ask! Here are some of the questions that I come across often!

1. What can I expect during my first session? 

Your first session will involve a thorough assessment, where we discuss your medical history, current condition, and goals. Your PT will then complete an evaluation of your movement to determine your range of motion, strength, and any areas of pain.  The PT will have you complete the movements on your own and then they will also help you to complete movements passively so they can get a feel for your tissue restriction, joint mobility, and any other areas of concern.  They will look at both sides of your body - to compare for any type of differences on either side. Throughout this assessment, the PT will keep track of anything that may be the cause of your symptoms.  You will also keep talking to your PT throughout to communicate with them what you are feeling and what things are easy/hard and what makes your symptoms better or worse.  All oftThis information helps us create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs and your goals!

2. How many sessions will I need? 

There is no specific amount of sessions that are guaranteed to help you to feel better.  Even if two people come to PT with the exact same injury, while it can give us a guideline of the amount of PT you may need, there is no set and specific number that will guarantee your results.  The number of sessions varies based on your specific condition and how you respond to treatment.  Your response to treatment is influenced not only by your symptoms, but your medical history, your age, your mental health, your mindset, your communication with your PT, your lifestyle, sleep, nutrition, water intake, and your commitment to your care (and so many other things too)! Some patients may see improvement in just a few visits, while others with more complex issues may require ongoing therapy. We will regularly assess your progress and adjust the treatment plan as necessary.  Your PT will continue to talk with you too, in addition to physical assessments, to help to figure out your response so far and your continued needs for PT.

3.  Do I have to be injured to come to physical therapy?

No!  While many people do come to physical therapy because they are already injured or are already in pain or having pain with something specific, you don’t have to wait to come to PT.  You can come to PT to help to prevent these things!  You may come to PT because you have a history of injuries in the past and you know you want to start a new workout routine or pick up a new sport or activity and you want to have a PT evaluate you to see if you have any restrictions that may eventually become an issue if they are not addressed first.  PT can help to determine if there are any muscle imbalances or weaknesses, any joint mobility changes, ROM changes, or any other muscular or joint complications that may impact your ability to participate with certain activities.  Many times, people who run marathons or participate with heavy lifting competitions will work regularly with their PT to help to prevent injuries and just manage minor aches that come with heavy training.  You also don’t have to be an athlete or participating with any intense competitions to do this!  So many people would benefit from coming for a PT evaluation to help to improve posture, lifting techniques, and participation with daily workouts, and daily activities to help to prevent injury and improve overall function!  SO NO! You don’t have to be injured to come see a PT!  In fact, PLEASE come to us before that!  It’s easier to prevent the injury than it is to fix it! (We can fix it, but it’s better for you if you never experience it in the first place!)

4. How do I know if physical therapy is right for me? 

Honestly, if you are a human being, physical therapy can be right for you.  Physical therapy can help with so many things - including prevention of complications and helping with injuries and pain, and preparing you for sport and activities, and the ability to participate with daily activities pain free and so much - that it can be beneficial for so many people.  There are of course situations where physical therapy can be contraindicated.  The only way to know if you are a candidate for physical therapy is to come in for an initial evaluation!  Your physical therapist will take you through the evaluation process and they will determine if you will benefit from skilled PT for what you are dealing with at that time!  Your PT is trained to know if PT is right for you or not.  If it’s not, they will refer you to the appropriate medical professional who can help you if you need it!  PTs are here to support you on your health and wellness journey - and sometimes that means referring to somebody else! The only way to definitely know though, is to come in for an evaluation!  So come in for one today!

5.  Will physical therapy be painful?  

While some discomfort can occur, especially during the initial stages of treatment, our goal is to minimize pain while maximizing recovery.  There is an old mindset of “no pain, no gain” and “pain is weakness leaving the body” but these are incorrect.  Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong.  It is important that you and your PT are communicating the whole time about pain you are experiencing.  Your PT will communicate with you to make sure that your pain is minimal throughout the process.  Be honest with your PT and make sure you tell them if and when you are feeling pain, so they can make sure you aren’t in too much pain and that your treatments are appropriate and are actually helping you!  If you are in too much pain during your session, we may actually be doing more harm than good, so talk to your PT about what you are feeling!

6. Can I do exercises at home?  

Absolutely! In fact, home exercises are a crucial component of your recovery. Your PT will provide you with specific exercises to do at home to complement your in-office sessions. Consistency is key to achieving the best results - don’t skip out on these! You need these exercises to help you to reach your full potential!  These exercises will be updated appropriately throughout your physical therapy journey, as you continue to improve!  If you are somebody who works out at the gym or in any capacity, your physical therapist will also talk to you about any modifications that may be needed to help to maximize your progress and prevent pain and injury!

7.  Will I have to do exercises forever for my injury? 

In some capacity, yes.  The exercises that you are doing though, will change over time.  You will not always be doing the more basic exercises that helped you out in the beginning of your PT journey.  It won’t always be the exercises that seem tedious and potentially boring (no matter how effective they are, some of them are not exciting!).  Your exercises will progress over time and you will continue to complete strengthening and mobility workouts to help to prevent your injury from coming back.  The progression will look different for everybody, but the truth is, everybody should be moving and exercising regularly - even if you’ve never had a single day of pain or a single injury in your life!  So yes - you will have to do exercise forever, we all do!  But it will continue to change over time, and the goal is that you won’t have to worry about your injury forever and you’ll be able to do the exercises you enjoy the most and the other stuff will work around that! 

If you have more questions or concerns, never hesitate to reach out. Understanding the process can help alleviate anxiety and promote a more effective recovery so definitely keep open communication with your PT throughout your journey!  You deserve to feel better so reach out today with any questions or concerns and we are happy to answer!

March February 2025 UPDATE!

Our quick update for LWL this month: We celebrated our 4 year anniversary this year! We can't thank you enough for all of your continued support and trust in your care and your health journey! We are so grateful to be a part of your journey and healing!  We also have a new shelf set up in the waiting room of our office!  We have some products that you can buy - if they are appropriate for you and for your care and recovery!  Some of the products that we have include:  Kinesiotape, Lacrosse balls (for myofascial release), Biofreeze, Ice packs, pain patches, and Resistance Bands!  We will be adding some LWL swag too! Stay tuned for our monthly updates!

If there is anything specific that you would like to learn about, comment or email me and I am more than happy to talk more about it! If you are a small business owner or know somebody who is and who would like to be a part of LWL’s blog in the future, reach out to us and we would love to feature you!

If there is anything specific that you would like to learn about, comment or email me and I am more than happy to talk more about it! 

Thanks for being here!

Follow us on Instagram for tips and tricks and all of our updates, and if you have any questions or need help with any injuries or pain or preventing injuries email us at livewithoutlimitspt@gmail.com!  And let us know if there is anything else that you would like us to talk about in our blog and our Instagram/Facebook posts!  

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• Dr. Katie