Do you have an injury that you have been dealing with and wonder if Physical Therapy is right for you? Here is what to expect on your first Physical Therapy visit
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* At your first visit, your Doctor of Physical Therapy will get your medical history and reason for coming to PT.
* You will be asked what specific activities of daily living cause your pain and what steps you have taken for treatment.
* You will discuss what your day to day life entails and what your short and long term goals may be.
* After your PT has a thorough history you will be asked to perform a series of movements which may vary depending on the body part you are being treated for. Your strength, flexibility, joint mobility, nerve mobility and core activation during specific movement patterns will be assessed.
* Based on the findings of your examination, we will be able to formulate an individualized plan including a variety of specific exercises that will be executed over a period of time.
* Most injuries may take 4-6 weeks of treatment to recover.
During follow up visits, your PT will check your whole body movement patterns and perform hands on manual intervention to assist and assess the progress being made each visit. Every visit will be different depending on what you, the patient, reports and your overall progress.
As a patient you should leave each appointment feeling like you were able to express concerns, learn exercises, learn about your diagnosis, and feel a sense of relief or progress.
If progress is not made in the first 2-4 weeks your PT may refer you to a specialist who can further do diagnostic imaging or alternative treatment.