If you need to go through physical therapy, that’s usually not fun. However, it’s something you may need to get back on your feet following an injury. If you don’t go through this process, you may not regain functionality, and that can negatively impact your life.
A car crash might injure you, requiring physical therapy. A sudden car wreck remains possible at any time, even if you are a careful driver. It’s why you should carry insurance. Most states mandate it. For instance, New Mexico makes drivers carry $25,000 in bodily injury per person, and other states want even more.
A slip-and-fall situation might also hurt you. Perhaps you’ll sustain a sports-related injury. No matter what harmed you, though, if a doctor says you require physical therapy, you need to listen to them. If you don’t, then you might never get back to your previous form, and you might feel sad and directionless for the rest of your life.
What Does the Term Physical Therapy Mean?
The term “physical therapy” usually means several practices or treatments wrapped up into one. Essentially, you’re dealing with an injury or infirmity through a combination of stretching, massage, strengthening exercises, and so forth.
You’ll usually start with a doctor recommending physical therapy and talking to you about what it might do to help with a particular situation. If you’re trying to come back from a broken bone, you’re often a prime candidate. However, you may also need physical therapy following a soft tissue injury.
You can contact a physical therapist once you have a doctor’s recommendation. That’s something the physical therapy center you contact will normally ask about, so have that ready.
What Does Physical Therapy Cost?
Physical therapy can get pricey in a hurry. Normally, though, you will pay less if you have health insurance. Since most health insurance plans recognize that physical therapy has a legitimate medical purpose, they probably won’t deny you the ability to go do it if a doctor recommends it.
Keep in mind, though, that your health insurance will probably only let you attend physical therapy a certain number of times per calendar year. Because of this, you’ll need to use these appointments sparingly.
For instance, if your health insurance says it will pay for 40 physical therapy appoints per year, and you’re going twice each week, that means you will use all of yours up before the year concludes. That’s why, if you’re starting a physical therapy program, it’s best that you cut back from twice per week to once per week as soon as you can.
Most physical therapy centers will understand these restrictions and try to work with you to accommodate your particular plan. They will give you exercises to do at home that should strengthen the body part you’re working on and allow you to progress further in the program faster.
You should also expect to pay a copay with each physical therapy session you attend. You’re probably not happy about that, but it’s the reality of healthcare coverage in America in most instances. Only the most expensive, high-end insurance plans will likely give you unlimited yearly physical therapy appointments and won’t charge you copays.
You might expect to have a copay of anywhere from $30-$80 per visit for physical therapy appointment. That number varies according to several factors, though.
What Happens During Physical Therapy?
When you first start physical therapy, you will meet with your own personal physical therapist. They will work with you primarily, though maybe you’ll meet with someone else later if they’re not around on a particular day.
They will ask you what brings you in, and you can tell them about your injury or malady. Maybe you’re recovering from surgery or a doctor recommended this treatment because you have a nagging injury that won’t heal properly.
The physical therapist will test your range of motion and ask you about how much pain you’re in. Then, the two of you will start working together.
The Healing Process
In the beginning, you won’t push yourself too hard. The physical therapist will assign you exercises that will start to warm up the area that you’re improving.
Day by day and week by week the process will ramp up. That means the physical therapist will give you more difficult exercises and demand more from you.
Some of the exercises involve equipment the physical therapy center has. Maybe you’ll use free weights, uneven bars like in gymnastics, resistance bands, and more.
However, the physical therapist will also focus on exercises that you can do at home. That’s a huge part of physical therapy. You push yourself when you’re in one of these sessions, but you also work on the body part every day on your own time. To improve, you must stick with it, as any physical therapist will tell you.
When you finish working on the body part you’re targeting, the physical therapist will give you a massage and work on your range of motion. If you’re coming back from a surgery or something along those lines, this range of motion manipulation can feel like medieval torture.
You might hear people cry out in pain as the physical therapist manipulates the problematic body part. You may do it yourself, even if you think of yourself as a strong person. It’s only natural. To get that body part functional again will require pain.
If you give up, that’s your prerogative, but that could mean you never recover fully. Perhaps you can’t lift an arm anymore, or you can’t walk if you’re having a lower body issue.
You may end up hating your physical therapist because of the pain they’re inflicting, but they expect that. They might seem sadistic, but they’re medical professionals, and they’re trying to help you.
In time, if you stick with it, you should see positive results. It’s not an easy road, but many people must travel it at some point.
Image by Kaboompics.com from Pexels
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