A typical order for physical therapy will ask for 2-3 visits per week for 4-6 weeks. Sometimes the order will specify something different. What generally happens is for the first 2-3 weeks, we recommend 3x per week. This is because it will be the most intensive portion of your treatment.
How Often Should You Do Your Exercises? It's always best to listen to the advice of your physio but generally, exercises should initially be performed 2-3 times per day for 5 minutes each time. This amount of repetition allows the muscles to develop the “memory” they need to perform their role.
While your recovery is heavily influenced by your strength and mobility, it is still possible to overdo it if you aren't careful. Your physical therapist will talk to you about ways to balance physical therapy exercises and activities with proper amounts of rest.
Everyone is different, so the answer to this question will depend on your specific circumstances. But in general, most people can expect to get physiotherapy treatment 2 to 3 days per week, over the course of 6 to 8 weeks. Here are some guidelines to help you decide how often to have physiotherapy treatments.
It's often advised to do exercises first thing in the morning or right at the end of the day. Figure out when you have more time, or are less likely to miss them.
Your therapist should keep you on track and reassure you of your progress. But, in order to see results, we recommend going to physical therapy around two to three times per week for anywhere from two to eight weeks.
Utilize the rest days between therapy sessions to restore your energy and strength. Make sure to get good sleep, deep relaxation, and enjoyment during recovery. Getting sufficient rest leads to a healthy mind and body. You'll also increase your chances of early recovery if you set aside enough time for rest and sleep.
Physical therapy isn't just exercise for exercise sake. It is a focused and targeted prescription of rehabilitation that aims to get you back to optimal functioning. When it comes to exercise, running on the treadmill or lift weights are not going to have a direct impact on your activities of daily living.
If you don't get physical therapy, you're more likely to experience muscle atrophy or poor circulation, causing muscle weakness and making it difficult to do the things you love.
After about six to eight weeks of consistent treatments and seeing progress, your PT will likely recommend that the frequency be lessened to one visit a week. This encourages the independent management of your condition and promotes the habit of at-home exercises.
The most common side effects include soreness, stiffness, bruising, swelling, and redness. These symptoms are usually temporary and can be managed with the help of a qualified physiotherapist.
This depends on the purpose and intensity of the exercise. Exercises with a low load or intensity (i.e. exercises which are not about working to your full capacity) can be carried out every day. Sometimes even twice a day.
It's perfectly fine to get adjusted 2 or 3 days in a row, especially in the beginning of your treatment. As long as you aren't getting adjusted 5 days a week for multiple weeks, it won't have any negative effects on you.
Apart from the frequency, each session may last between 30 and 60 minutes in length. While two to three visits in a week may appear to be too much, especially if you have just sustained an injury or undergone surgery, it is important to understand why regular visits are necessary.
We strongly recommend that you perform our prescribed stretches and exercises around 3 to 5 times a week for approximately 2 to 3 weeks. Some advice that we have for you to stick to these routines for a short period of time include setting reminders on your phone and/or calendar.
Instead of avoiding physical activity altogether, walking allows you to refamiliarize your injured muscles or bones with weight-bearing exercise without applying too much pressure to the injury.
Note improvements. Of course, each treatment program is tailor to each person's need, so your results will be unique. But generally, after each appointment, you should notice improvements in movement and a reduction in pain. If you do not feel you're progressing, tell your therapist about your concerns.
Think about the differences between these two fields and which one best fits your interests or skills. An exercise physiologist spends more time creating customized physical fitness plans and goals. Physical therapists, meanwhile, focus primarily on helping patients learn or recover specific mobility functions.
Early intervention of physical therapy can speed up the recovery process by decreasing the time the body is able to compensate or perform “bad” movements, leading to increased complications or problems.
Missing a day or two of Physical Therapy in the long run will not likely significantly affect your long-term results. However, making a habit of missing Physical Therapy does have the potential of effecting your positive outcome. Often, your therapist will only get to see you 2-3 times a week.
After finishing physical therapy, you should be significantly stronger than when you began and be left with plenty of exercises to continue your journey. Make sure you stay on the right track by continuing to strengthen your body. Take that gym membership off hold, sign up to work with a trainer or take some classes.
While it's not uncommon to feel sore after physical therapy, you should never experience severe pain. It's important not to confuse soreness with pain. Muscles that have become tight and weak over time require stretching and exercise which results in a lactic acid build-up that can cause irritation.
For patients who delay physical therapy, their injuries and symptoms often become worse and may be more difficult and/or more expensive to treat. In fact, patients can experience permanent nerve damage, reduced range of motion, and other complications when physical therapy is delayed or declined.
We have established that tiredness and fatigue are completely normal after a physiotherapy appointment, and that fatigue is actually an important part of your recovery journey. You need to listen to your body, and when it feels tired, rest. Workout needs equal rest to regenerate, rebuild and re-energize.