What do you want to accomplish with Physical Therapy? What are your goals?
It’s the first question I ask all my patients during their initial Physical Therapy visit. It sounds so simple, but you’d be surprised by the number of confused looks I get whenever I ask this question. It just doesn’t seem to dawn on a lot of patients. However, to me, the answer provides the basis for how I fashion a Physical Therapy rehabilitation program.
I want to feel better.
It’s a great starting point for a patient. In general, everyone knows that Physical Therapy is there to help you get “better”, but I want to be able to go deeper than that? What is “better” for you? The answer will essentially be the starting point for mapping out the path to enhancing your quality of life!
I just want to be able to __________________
The answer can be anything. I want to be able to jog again. I want to be able to drive without feeling any pain in my back. I want to be able to pick up my child with confidence.
At the end of the day, I’m just a medical professional. I have my ideas on, technically, how successful your rehab should be. The research always tells where a person should be after therapy, statistically, for any number of ailments. But it means nothing if you don’t believe it as well, or if we don’t share the same goals. The outcome can’t come from me. It MUST come from you, the patient. Having specific goals for what you want from Physical Therapy will get you the BEST result, because we can zone in on what you want and make sure that it happens for you!
Where do you want to be when you finish Physical Therapy here?
My staff can help you get to wherever you want to go. But it all starts with you, and the goals you set for yourself. Once you set that goal, we can set realistic benchmarks to help you achieve that goal as efficiently, quickly, and pain-free as possible.