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1. Frequency (most important) |
- a. Expect to attend physical therapy 2-3 times a week for 4-6 weeks. This time frame allows for the body to make the internal changes needed to fully correct your pain/problem. The body is a very efficient machine, it adapts to those stresses placed upon it or taken from it. Example:
If we frequently exercise, we get in shape. If we frequently sit down and on the couch and eat potato chips, we get out of shape and develop high cholesterol. Frequency is the “key” factor in CHANGE. Anything from a successful diet, education, fitness, breathing, etc is dependent on frequency. If we want to experience positive change, we have to frequently subject the body to positive stresses. In physical therapy, we are taking the body in a “below par” stat (due to pain) and are working to get it operating in an optimum state. This takes frequency. Professional athletes commit 7 days a week, twice a day, to their physical therapy, so that they can resume their activities as quickly as possible. Due to your “Time” and “Insurance” restrictions 7 days a week isn’t possible, but with good scheduling we can make a lesser 3 days a week work. The other 4 days a week come from completing your “Home Exercises”. Frequency is “key” in getting you to a great end result sooner. Your physical therapist will work on setting a frequency for you. |
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2. Expect more soreness or symptoms in the beginning. |
- a. The body is built to respond to stress. When we stress a body part (break it down), the body builds it back up. As we exercise, we breakdown the muscle tissue and over the next 2-4 days, the body mends that tissue with stronger muscle fibers. This happens not only in the health club setting, (muscle soreness) but also in physical therapy. This muscle soreness will accompany your current symptoms so your SYMPTOMS MAY INCREASE….THIS IS NOT NEGATIVE. The body is changing, but it has to be made to change via activity. i. If the exercise/activity you are performing IS NOT PAINFUL during the activity and you are sore the next day or 2 days after…it is positive; the body is doing its job. It is rebuilding what was broken down. The natural process involves inflammation so this causes the symptoms to increase. It will be a short cycle of 48-72 hours as in traditional muscle soreness. ii. If the exercise/activity you are performing IS PAINFUL and you continue, then you are more sore the next day or day after then it is aggravated…this is negative. Avoid pain with your activities. (this doesn’t apply to all physical therapy conditions such as frozen shoulder, etc. Ask your therapist).
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3. Your PAIN will be one of the last things to go away. |
- a. PAIN is a protective mechanism that the body uses to let you know that something is wrong. It will not be the first thing to go away completely. If your pain went away first and the problem still existed then you would utilmatly do MORE DAMAGE to the body. (example: Sunburn: if the pain from the sunburn went away first, before the skin healed, then you would not know to stay out of the sun or treat the skin and you could sustain severe skin damage as a result.)
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Discovering Physical Therapy