Everyone’s reason for needing physical therapy is different, and you may have some questions or concerns regarding your physical therapy treatment. Whether you are recovering from a car accident or sports injury, preparing for surgery or recovering from one, or utilizing physical therapy for a different reason, it can be key to helping you experience lasting relief and a full recovery. Physical therapy can help with any type of injury so you can regain your full range of motion, improve your flexibility, and strengthen your muscles. You may be quite motivated to get to work strengthening and stretching your muscles and joints, but you also may fear that you’re doing too much. Is it possible to do too much physical therapy or push yourself too hard? The short answer is that it depends. Every person, injury, surgery, and situation is different, so it’s best to talk to your physical therapist about any questions or concerns you may have. Speak with your doctor at your nearby AICA physical therapy clinic to enhance your recovery and work through your treatment plan with confidence.
Why Physical Therapy Is Important
When you get injured, no matter where it occurs your surrounding muscles will automatically work to compensate for the pain and discomfort you experience. Physical therapy helps you strengthen these muscles so they can better support the injured area as it heals and also help prevent further injuries. Whether you are healing from an injury or a surgical procedure, physical therapy will help improve your ability to fully recover by improving your strength, range of motion, and flexibility.
Physical therapists work with you to help get you moving as soon as it is appropriate so your body can re-learn your daily routines without the pain and discomfort. Therapeutic exercises and massage can help with pain management while also stimulating healthy blood flow so your body is getting the oxygen and nutrients it needs to heal. A faster recovery is directly impacted by your body’s ability to regain strength and mobility. That’s where your physical therapist can help by developing a treatment and recovery plan that best addresses your specific needs and goals.
Getting the Most Out of Your Physical Therapy
In order to get the most out of your physical therapy, you should follow through with the treatment plan under the guidance of your physical therapist. Physical therapy clinics offer a safe space for healing and recovery so you can move through stretches and exercises gently and with supervision to ensure your activities are benefiting your recovery instead of harming it. Your physical therapist may push you to work harder or encourage you to take more breaks and rest, depending on how you respond to the treatment. This is all meant to help you effectively reach your physical therapy goals without negatively impacting your recovery. Following your physical therapist’s guidance, you may be able to move through stretches and exercises at home in between appointments to continue building strength and flexibility.
While your recovery is heavily influenced by your strength and mobility, it is still possible to overdo it if you aren’t careful. Your physical therapist will talk to you about ways to balance physical therapy exercises and activities with proper amounts of rest. In order for you to develop lasting strength, flexibility, and mobility, you have to allow your body time to rest and recover. Your physical therapist will give you advice on how long you should stay out of work for your injury. Physical therapy clinics are a great space to learn ways to strengthen and improve functioning at a steady, safe pace so you can get the most out of your physical therapy. If you push yourself too hard or overuse certain parts of your body too soon after an injury or surgery you risk further complications or injury. This can lead to chronic pain and discomfort if you aren’t careful. That’s why it is so important that you follow the treatment plan and recommendations of your physical therapist.
Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy
Physical therapy helps you rehabilitate after any type of injury or surgery so you can get back on your feet feeling even better than before. Your physical therapist will develop an individualized treatment plan to help you through the rehabilitation process so you can reach certain goals and milestones in a timeline that is appropriate for your body and the healing process. In order to fully recover, it is important that you commit to the treatment plan and discuss your interests in increasing stretches and exercises with your physical therapist before doing so. While one main goal of physical therapy is to help you rehabilitate and recover, another is to help you prevent future issues or injuries.
At AICA Orthopedics, we have multiple physical therapy clinics across metro Atlanta so you can find a convenient location for you with quality, professional physical therapists to help you recover. Visit us online to learn more about our physical therapy clinics in Atlanta and get started on your rehabilitation and recovery process today.
While your recovery is heavily influenced by your strength and mobility, it is still possible to overdo it if you aren't careful. Your physical therapist will talk to you about ways to balance physical therapy exercises and activities with proper amounts of rest.
Yes, it is possible to do too much physical therapy. Therapy must be done in moderation. If you exceed the instructions that your therapist gives, you could cause further damage and even reverse the effects of your therapy. Your treatment is designed to help you build strength, increase mobility, and recover over time.
However, the body needs adequate time to rest and heal between sessions. Overdoing activities can lead to burnout and reduced compliance with the rehabilitation program. Individuals must listen to their bodies and communicate discomfort or pain to their physiotherapist.
Signs your physical rehab program may be overdoing it include: Muscle failure while trying to tone and strengthen your body. Muscle soreness two days after a workout or rehab session. Excessive or “therapeutic” bruising from a deep tissue massage.
However, physical therapy should never cross over from discomfort and soreness into true pain. The point at which you begin to experience real pain is the point at which you should stop your PT regimen and consult with your therapist.
The benefits of taking rest into account during a bout of physical therapy. By giving your body time to recover, you'll find that you perform better during your physical therapy sessions, leading to more effective progress. This can even positively affect how long it takes your physical therapy to work.
In many cases, when doing exercises prescribed by your physical therapist, the more sessions you can fit in, the better your treatment results will be. There may be circ*mstances where that's not the case, but in general, daily sessions will give you additional benefits over less frequent sessions.
In general, you should attend physical therapy until you reach your PT goals or until your therapist—and you—decide that your condition is severe enough that your goals need to be re-evaluated. Typically, it takes about 6 to 8 weeks for soft tissue to heal, so your course of PT may last about that long.
A typical order for physical therapy will ask for 2-3 visits per week for 4-6 weeks. Sometimes the order will specify something different. What generally happens is for the first 2-3 weeks, we recommend 3x per week. This is because it will be the most intensive portion of your treatment.
You know your patient is invested and working hard on their home program—so why aren't they improving? If you've done your due diligence as a therapist and your patient still isn't making measurable progress, it's time to consider that physical therapy might not be what they need.
This is a controlled injury, somewhat like surgery is controlled damage to the body to heal. The normal and natural result of strengthening is soreness or a low level of pain in the general muscle area the next day or two, and soreness is most especially experienced when using the muscle (See micro-trauma above).
Physical therapy is an effective treatment for tendonitis. A physical therapist will work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan to help you overcome your condition and achieve your goals.
Stretching and exercise are excellent ways to manage a herniated disc, but using too much power can worsen the condition and cause further harm. Pay attention to your body as you go more slowly.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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