WHAT IS “PHASE I” OF YOUR REHABILITATION?
“Phase I”, of your physical therapy program, is centered around controlling the pain and inflammation process your body is experiencing. Phase I can include ultrasound, electric stimulation, massage, manual therapy, hot/cold packs, traction, light exercises, etc. Phase I entails those aspects of therapy that are “applied to you”. As your pain decreases and your are able to move easier without discomfort, your physical therapy program will change allowing you and your physical therapist to address the underlying problem that is causing your pain.
WHAT IS “PHASE II” OF YOUR REHABILITATION?
“Phase II”, of your physical therapy program, is focused on CORRECTING the underlying problem that is causing your pain. Your pain is simply just a SYMPTOM of the problem…but is not THE PROBLEM ITSELF. An example is a flat tire. The tire has a hole in it; thus it is flat. The symptom of a flat tire is no air. You can treat the symptom all you want by filling the tire up with air every day, but if you don’t fix the hole in the tire (THE PROBLEM) the symptom will never go away. Your pain is exactly like this! Your pain is just a signal to you that there is a problem that needs fixed. Phase II is about correcting your body’s deficits so that it can work properly without PAIN; addressing the joint’s mechanics and alignment. Phase II will include a variety of specific exercises of varying intensities that will condition your body to support itself allowing it to handle the stresses you place upon it during work and play. All injuries have something in common…”tight/weak tissues”; it’s the “tight/weak” tissues that get injured, not the flexible/strong tissues. Therefore, Phase II is about bringing strength/flexibility to those areas; thus, eliminating your pain and preventing it from reoccurring.
Phase II is the most important aspect of your physical therapy program for it CORRECTS the problem causing your pain. Be aware that Phase II begins when you are starting to feel good and your pain is gone or nearly gone…so don’t stop here. It is here, at this EXACT point that injuries happen. The body is just well enough to feel good, but just one wrong move and those tight/weak tissues become strained and then you have pain. Phase II is about exposing your body’s weaknesses and correcting them.
Let’s take another look at the flat tire…….
* Phase I is about putting air in the flat tire so we can get to a service station.
* Phase II is about the service station fixing the hole, allowing you to drive 70 safely without concern.
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Discovering Physical Therapy