If you’re working with a physical therapist in the aftermath of an injury, to recover after surgery or to simply become a stronger version of yourself, you probably like the guidance and oversight they provide during your sessions. But once the session ends and you’re back on your own, what should you be doing to help keep from derailing all the progress you’ve made? In today’s blog, we explain what you should be doing in between your physical therapy sessions.
Continuing Your Progress Between PT Sessions
We hope that you make progress during and as a direct result of your physical therapy sessions, but this shouldn’t be the only time that you’re making progress. What you do when you’re away from your PT is just as important in your journey to wellness. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the things you’ll likely want to do between sessions with your PT to help further your recovery.
- Heed Your PT’s Instructions – We always ensure that our patients understand what we want from them while they are between sessions. Whether that means partaking in some home-based exercises, being more mindful of their posture, altering their diet or prioritizing their sleep schedule, we will leave you with some important instructions. Make it a point to follow through on those recommendations.
- Stay Active – We don’t want you to sit on the couch waiting for your next session. Get up and get moving! As long as you stay within any activity restrictions put forth by your physical therapist, we’re going to want you to stay active. This exercise and activity will boost your circulation, develop muscles and soft tissues and improve your range of motion, so we want you to continue pursuing movement when you’re not working directly with your physical therapist.
- Nourish Your Body – You’ll want to make sure that you are nourishing and fueling your body between physical therapy sessions. These vitamins and minerals can aid in tissue recovery and give your body the nutrients it needs to thrive. Eat plenty of leafy greens, vitamin-rich fruits, whole grains and lean proteins to give your body what it needs to continue recovering. Also make it a point to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
- Manage Discomfort – We want to push you outside of your comfort zone during your physical therapy sessions, because that’s where you’ll make the strongest gains. At the same time, you may also find that you’re a little sore after an intense PT routine, and that’s fine so long as you take care of your body over the next 24-48 hours. Be sure to stretch different areas of your body, control swelling or inflammation with ice or over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications and get restful sleep so that your body can recover from the rigors of the session. Managing any discomfort you experience will also make it easier for you to stay active or prepare for your next session.
- Goal Reevaluation – Finally, it can be helpful to reevaluate your personal PT goals between sessions to see if there’s anything you want to add or adjust when it comes to your short-term and long-term goals. We want to help you achieve all of your recovery goals, but your need to determine what’s important to you and what kind of goals you want for yourself. As long as your goals are rooted in reality, we’ll do everything we can to help you achieve them, so take a moment between sessions to review your progress and consider what you and your PT need to do to help you achieve the recovery goals you’ve set for yourself.
For more tips on what to do before, during or after your physical therapy session, reach out to the team at OrthoRehab Specialists today at (612) 339-2041.
PT of Costa Rican National Soccer Team for 2007 World Cup in Victoria, CAN. Clinical Instructor for University of Minnesota Doctor of Physical Therapy Affiliations
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