Long Island may be an exceptional place to live, but it’s not a place immune to sports injuries. In fact, our world-famous summers (and extensive range of potential activities) might even increase the risk of injuries here. Tennis, golf, swimming, hiking and gardening are just a few summer pastimes that can lead to injuries of near-infinite possibilities. At Central Orthopedic Group, there’s very rarely a patient injury that won’t compel us to recommend physical therapy as an excellent treatment option.
Physical therapy restores mobility, strength and flexibility while eliminating pain from the day-to-day realities of patients. It’s a natural, highly effective means of improving range of motion, recovering from injury, surgery, chronic pain or illness. And therapists diagnose and calibrate each treatment plan in order to achieve the best results for their individual patients. We love seeing our patients pursue physical therapy to heal rather than surgery or painkillers. However, your success depends largely on how much you commit to your treatment. In this post, we’ll explore a few effective ways to get the most out of your orthopedic physical therapy.
1. Ask Questions/Communicate with Your PT
This one might actually be the most important tip you can apply throughout physical therapy. A successful physical therapy treatment absolutely requires clear, coherent communication throughout. In order to collaborate in a productive, efficient way, both therapist and patient must maintain a constant dialogue with zero room for miscommunication.
Therefore, it’s essential to keep in mind that you should be ready and willing to use your voice – a lot. Discuss your symptoms, ask as many questions as you have, describe your body’s response to certain exercises and stretches, and try to establish a great rapport immediately. You’ll be extremely grateful you did once you see the benefits.
2. Attend Every Appointment
Of course, we’re all super busy and have countless obligations to see to on a daily basis. In addition, if you’re in pain, the idea of resting at home rather than heading to an appointment will feel much more appealing. However, the goal you’re working towards far outweighs the temporary comfort of staying in and skipping your session. Don’t skip, don’t postpone – just go.
Also, another frequent mistake that patients make is stopping their treatment after the first signs of progress. But your healing isn’t complete until your therapist concludes the treatment program. Ceasing attendance before you finish treatment won’t just rob you of the optimal recovery that physical therapy can provide. Additionally, it can actually leave you in a more precarious condition and more vulnerable to another injury.
3. Set Attainable Goals
Nothing’s more rewarding than completing physical therapy and experiencing freedom from the pain and impairment you felt before. Once you reach the conclusion of your regimen, you’ll understand just what an achievement it is and feel pride in yourself for seeing it through.
By setting specific goals in the beginning, you’ll consistently be seeing the progress you’re making. Keeping track of the rewards and benefits of your therapy will be much easier. Also, this will make it much easier for your therapist to discern how far you’ve come and refine your treatment if necessary. Ultimately, this is also an excellent way to keep you motivated and ensure commitment to the very end.
Start Your Physical Therapy Journey at Central Orthopedic Group
At Central Orthopedic Group, we know very well what physical therapy can do for the health and wellness of our patients. Therefore, we’ll regularly provide you with useful, insightful information in order to ensure you’re aware of how to best navigate treatment in the aftermath of sports injuries. Undoubtedly. these simple tips are guaranteed to yield several fantastic results that will eventually bring you to a place of greater healing, recovery and independence than ever.