Do I Need to Do Anything to Prepare for Physical Therapy?

If you have been injured or undergone a surgery, you may need physical therapy to regain your range of motion, flexibility, and strength. You’ll want to prepare physically and mentally to get the most benefits out of the appointments. With the right team from Vida Integrated Health, you can recover quicker and more effectively than on your own. 

Bring Important Information to Your First Appointment

You’ll want to make sure you provide an accurate list of your current medications and any symptoms you have for the injury or condition which you are being treated for. Most clinics will have you complete an extensive intake form prior to your initial visit where you can provide all of this information to your Physical Therapist to review. This can also help you avoid causing further injury or discomfort when the therapist is aware of these complications or any contraindications. This information can help the therapist at Vida Integrated Health design a more personalized treatment plan for you including incorporating additional therapies as needed. 

Gather Any Relevant Documents

Bring current test results or x-rays if they have been taken of your injury. Your therapist will want to review all the information available about your injury before developing your treatment plan. Additional Xrays may be taken at Vida as needed. Let them know if you have attended any therapy or had other treatments for the same injury or body part. It may influence what they decide to recommend for your therapy. Vida can always request your past medical history from your doctor or specialist if they didn’t provide you a copy on your behalf.

Make a List of Questions

It can be overwhelming to go to physical therapy for the first time, especially as you learn new exercises or have treatments performed. You are likely to forget important questions you wanted to ask, so write them down before you go. For instance, you may want to ask how long therapy will take or how many sessions the therapist recommends. You may want to know about any modifications on your activities or how to recover from any soreness you experience from therapy. If you have suffered from an injury, you may want to know if you will recover fully and how long you can expect it to take before you see improvements.

Take Notes

Your physical therapist will provide a lot of information at your first visit including specific strengthening exercises for you to complete at home. Your initial and followup Physical Therapy visits are 60 minutes in length. They will most likely provide you with access to their online exercise videos or other important activity or movement to remember. The therapist may offer tips on your form or instruct you on how to perform exercises, how to deal with soreness (ice vs heat), and even when to tell when the pain is major or minor versus what is expected. You may not be able to remember it all, but you don’t want to miss out on something important to your recovery.

Dress Appropriately

The physical therapist may have you do stretching and exercises or receive manual treatment with special equipment. You want them to have easy access to the affected body part and have room to move with no restrictions. Select loose, comfortable clothing that won’t get in your way as you exercise. You won’t want something that is too loose to get in your way or make you feel exposed. Wear tennis shoes or closed-toe shoes with a non-skid sole. In essence, you should dress like you’re going to work out at the gym. At Vida we have large restrooms so you can change your clothing if needed before and after your appointment. 

Get Hydrated

There’s a good chance that your therapist may make you sweat during your session. You also want to make sure your muscles aren’t tight from dehydration during or after your appointment. Drink plenty of water the day before your appointment as well as the day of. Bring a water bottle with you to the appointment, so you can take a drink as needed if you are performing strenuous exercises. Water will help with your recovery time from any exercises.

Be Well Rested

This one might be a little challenging if you are experiencing pain in whichever part of your body is being treated with therapy. Try your best to get a good nights rest before your appointment. The therapist may perform several tests to determine certain measurements, and a well-rested body will yield better results. Some of these tests will measure flexibility, balance, posture, strength, and range of motion.

Learn About the Physical Therapy Program

Take some time to learn about Vida Integrated Health and how we can help patients achieve their goals with physical therapy services. You will feel better when you realize that we use a whole body approach to therapy to treat the whole person. Our one-on-one approach utilizes a variety of techniques to get maximum results in the shortest amount of time. We implement such therapies as myofascial decompression, active release technique, shockwave therapy, blood flow restriction therapy, stability boards, soft tissue manipulation, and other equipment and techniques.

A personalized treatment plan integrates multiple therapuetic services with a team approach to create the best recovery for each patient based on their individual goals. Schedule your appointment with Vida Integrated Health and follow these tips to help you get the best results from your first and every session with your physical therapist.