What To Expect During Your First Physical Therapy Appointment
If you have some type of pain in your body that your doctor cannot fix through medication, surgery, or some other type of procedure, the best treatment option for it might be physical therapy. Physical therapy is something that helps people increase mobility, reduce pain, and improve range of motion, and here are several things you should expect during your first appointment with a physical therapist.
The Appointment Will Consist of a Lot of Questions
During your first appointment, you probably will not undergo a lot of therapy techniques, and this is primarily because the therapist must first grasp a good understanding of what your problems are. To do this, the therapist will ask you a lot of different questions. This may include questions about what caused these problems, when they started, what they feel like, and what parts of your body are affected by the problems.
The goal of asking these questions is to determine a treatment plan for you. Without fully knowing the situation, the therapist would not know what direction to take the plan. By asking you questions, the therapist will understand the problems you are having and the direction you will need to go.
One important step in this process is determining goals for you, and the therapist will create these for you and explain them to you. The therapist's main job is to help you get from the point where you are to the goals created for you, and this requires a plan of action.
The Therapist May Have You Do Exercises or Movements
The second thing you should expect during your initial appointment is for the therapist to have you move your body parts in certain ways or perform certain exercises. The point of this is to find out exactly where your pain or mobility issues exist. This will help the therapist create a customized plan for you. Because of this, you should wear clothes that are comfortable for you to move around in, and you should avoid wearing jewelry or things like that.
As you do the things the therapist asks, he or she will write down the results of your actions, and they will become part of the plan and goals.
Physical therapy is extremely helpful for most problems that involve pain or mobility. If you would like to learn more about this, contact a physical therapy firm such as Eagle Creek Therapy Services today to schedule an appointment with a therapist.
