When Do I Actually Need to See a Physical Therapist?
Written by Calvin Thai PT,DPT
As a Physical Therapist, a common thing I hear when people come in for an evaluation is “I didn’t know exactly when to come in.” Usually these people have been dealing with the problem for over than a month and it’s usually progressed to a point where it’s bothering them daily. More times than not, it has even affected multiple facets of their life. People tend to wait until the problem is unruly before seeking out help!
I get it, it is easy to think “It’ll get better if I just rest it,” and sometimes that really is what people need. But once people get into this mindset, it’s hard to know when doing more than rest is what you need.
Here’s a few things to consider when trying to figure out when is right for you:
Injury has lasted longer than 1-2 weeks. Here’s the thing, if you injured something and rested for that long and the pain or symptoms are still persisting, it probably means that you could use some help to progress your rehab journey.
The symptoms have started to affect your daily life and/or mental health. No one wants to feel injured, and no one wants to have it affect what they do on a regular basis. If you are that point, seeking PT could definitely provide mental relief that you may not realize you even had due to the injury.
You are avoiding specific movements. It is easier to not do the thing that hurts than to do it. But here’s the thing, the human body is meant to move in so many ways, avoiding specific movements can make your body frail to that area. You might not feel pain by avoiding, but you definitely aren’t getting back to how you used to be. An example here would be ,”I don’t squat with weight anymore because I hurt my back in the past.”
You are feeling lost. You either just injured it or you have tried to do rehab on your own and you haven’t really seen progress and no longer know what to do.
Those are just a few signs! With that being said, a common misconception about Physical Therapy is that we only see people if they have an injury. While that is the most common case, Physical Therapists are the movement experts. It could never hurt to learn more about how you move your body from an expert. If most people are preventative rather than reactive with their care, a lot of the common problems we see could be avoided! If you see a physical therapist sooner than later, it would only help to decrease your recovery time and prevent you from developing compensations that you probably wouldn’t even be aware of.
As a final note, seeing a PT if you are wary about anything will never hurt. Why wait until it becomes a problem, when you can prevent it from becoming one?
Let’s chat! Book an assessment and let’s get you back to feeling good in your body.
No referrals, no waiting, just answers. Did you know that we offer free 1-on-1 injury screens? Wattage Physical Therapy will take an in depth look at your ergonomics, posture, muscle tone, muscle weaknesses, and movement patterns to create a plan for YOU. If this article intrigues you, you can directly email me, Calvin at Calvin@wattagept.com. I would be happy to help you start the process of living a life free from pain.