What Should I Expect at a Physical Therapy Visit?

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At your first physical therapy visit, we will review your medical history and do a physical evaluation.  Depending on your diagnosis or symptoms, we may evaluate your flexibility, strength, balance, coordination, or posture.  We may look at how you walk or get up from lying down (functional activities), along with how you use and position your body as you perform activities (body mechanics).  Our team will work with you to decide on your goals for physical therapy and to begin planning your treatment.  You may or may not begin your actual therapy at the first visit.

In general, the first goal of treatment is to decrease any pain and swelling you may have.  This may include the use of physical agents such as heat, ice, ultrasound or electric stimulation.  The next steps usually are to increase your flexibility and then to increase your strength and endurance, depending on your condition.  The goal is always to improve your ability to do your daily tasks and activities.  We often use manual therapy including hands on treatment of joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons as well as therapeutic exercise to help people gain range of motion, increase strength and improve function.  As with any deep tissue work or exercise, you may have mild soreness or swelling as a result of treatment, and these will be noted by our therapy team.  We will watch your reaction to treatment (for example, if you have swelling or become out of breath) and will adjust your treatment as needed.  This ongoing assessment and adjustment means that the risk of injury or complication from physical therapy is very low.

 

We will evaluate your need for special equipment such as particular footwear, splints, or crutches. If you need equipment, we can help you know what to get and either get it for you, or tell you where you can find it.

 

In most cases, part of your physical therapy will be education. We may teach you about performing your daily tasks safely, protecting your joints and avoiding re-injury, proper body mechanics and movement patterns, a customized home exercise program, and the use of any special equipment you many need. Patient education about a condition or illness is paramount to the practice of physical therapy, and we may use charts, models and diagrams to help you understand your diagnosis and prognosis. Please feel free to ask us if there are questions you have regarding your therapy and recovery.