Dealing with the pain and limited mobility associated with an injury or illness can be stressful for so many reasons. You might have questions like, \u201cHow long will I be sidelined?\u201d and \u201cWhat do I need to do to get better?\u201d Or maybe you\u2019re worried about how you\u2019ll pick your children up from school, walk to the train for your commute or prepare meals for your family.<\/p>\n
These are all perfectly normal concerns. Luckily, there are some ways that you can gain control over the situation and ensure that you return to the activities you care most about\u2014especially if physical therapy is part of your plan.<\/p>\n
What you can do before your very first appointment\u2014and during physical therapy\u2014to take control of that injury-related stress? First and foremost, it\u2019s important to come prepared for physical therapy. And no, I\u2019m not talking about dressing appropriately and arriving on time (or even better, 15 minutes ahead of your scheduled appointment). That stuff is important, of course, but there\u2019s one thing you can do in the days leading up to your appointment that will set you up for success.<\/p>\n
Any guesses? I\u2019m talking about starting a list. What kind of list? Well, every time that you feel pain in the affected area or notice an activity that is harder than it was pre-injury, add it to the list! And the more specific you are, the better. Here\u2019s an example to help drive this point home: Let\u2019s say that you\u2019re recovering from a moderate meniscus tear and you have an appointment with your physical therapist in three days. Take notes on how your knee feels first thing in the morning after you\u2019ve been off your feet. How does your knee react when you stand up from a chair\u2014does it feel unstable? Or do you find that you need to clutch the back of the couch on your way to the bathroom? Sharing each of these details helps your physical therapist understand your limitations beyond the injury printed on your intake form.<\/p>\n
Now let\u2019s take that list a step farther and add some details about the activities that you typically participate in on a regular basis. Let\u2019s say that you normally play a weekly round of golf, spend your mornings weeding your garden or meet up with friends for a four-mile walk two evenings a week. These activities have become an important part of your life so let\u2019s make sure that they\u2019re factored into your list, perhaps in the \u201cwhat you hope to get out of physical therapy\u201d category. Painting a clear picture of how active you are\u2014and what types of activities and sports you participate in\u2014can help your physical therapist design an individualized treatment plan and to better help you on your road to recovery.<\/p>\n
Contact a physical therapist today to set up an evaluation to avoid any injuries. Bring your list to improve your experience. We look forward to helping you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dealing with the pain and limited mobility associated with an injury or illness can be stressful for so many reasons. You might have questions like, \u201cHow long will I be sidelined?\u201d and \u201cWhat do I need to do to get …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":4443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,29,30,31,36,37,67,95,123,131,132,135,136,160,164,165,172,182,204,243,255,257,268,269,270,271,276,278,292,293,294,303,304,305,306,372,375],"tags":[536,598,640,741,935,1092,1359,1427,1591,1674,1769,1954,2084,2425,2429,2433,2447,2857,3242,3383,3558,3858,4033],"yoast_head":"\n