Our bodies have a natural tendency to absorb and store trauma in various areas, which is why we often experience aches and functional difficulties following a traumatic event.
Physical therapy could take 30-90 minutes, scheduled 2-3 times a week, and could last 6-8 weeks; however, it mainly depends on your injury, body type, weight, movement, and lifestyle.
Let’s clarify the process so you don’t endure unnecessary pain due to hesitation or doubts about the effectiveness of physical therapy.
How Long are Physical Therapy Sessions?
Physical therapy could last 30- 90 minutes, except for the first session, which usually takes longer than the rest due to a thorough evaluation.
Now, you might wonder why the first physical therapy session is longer than the others, so let’s evaluate what goes on in the first sessions.
What Happens in the First Physical Therapy Session?
The session mostly begins as soon as the therapist evaluates your condition. However, the length of the session and treatment are centered around the injury, healing rate, and treatment plan.
When visiting the therapist or for a session, make sure you are dressed appropriately and comfortably. Try to avoid wearing bulky or immodest clothes that might interrupt your sessions and save time.
The first stage of the first session is the initial evaluation. In this stage, the therapist performs an initial assessment by questioning you about your health, where you are experiencing pain, and how often you feel this pain. The therapist might also ask you to rate your pain on a scale of 1-10.
The second stage is a comprehensive evaluation. In this stage, the therapist performs tests and exams to locate the pain and diagnose the source of the pain and what is causing it.
Thirdly, the therapist will perform multiple strength tests, functional mobility test, range of motion measurement, neurological screening test, balance test, neck pain test, and muscle and joint test to evaluate your overall health.
Lastly, they will inquire about your lifestyle, what you eat, what you do, your family history, your medical history, genetic history, and any recently happened injury or accident.
Why is the First Session Longer than Regular Sessions?
The first session is more extended than regular sessions. The therapist inquires about you, designs a plan best suited to you and your goals, and educates you about the procedure.
After inquiring about yourself, your therapist will discuss the goals with you as per your overall evaluation. Then, they will map out the exercises best suited for you and your desired goals.
The last stage would be to educate you about the exercises and what they do and:
- How will those exercises work?
- How will those exercises benefit you?
- And how long will your treatment last?
And after all this, your first day of physical therapy will start.
Procedure Of Physical Therapy
We have discussed assessment and diagnosis. Let’s head towards the implementation. Before leaping towards the primary set of exercises, your therapist will begin with warm up exercises.
Warmup exercises are good for:
- Regulating blood flow throughout the body
- Opening up any blockages
- Prepare the body for movement.
Warm Up Exercises
By warming up your body, the blood will flow through all the muscles and joints. It will lubricate and nourish your ligaments, and improve your range of motion.
Standard exercises in warming up the body are listed below:
- Arm biking
- Biking
- Range of motion exercise
- Lateral raises
- Walking lunges
- Walking stretches
- Active stretching
- Leg swings
- Thoracic rotation
- Seated hamstring passive and active stretches
- Hip circles
- Shoulder stretch
- Brisk walking
- Stationary bike
- Dynamic Stretches
Main Exercises
After the warmup exercises, and soft tissue massage/joint work, the therapist will lead to the main course of action. These exercises will be tailored to your needs to achieve optimum success,
Cooldown Exercises
After an intense session, your body will need a signal to relax and return to the average breathing rate. To do that, your therapist might advise you to do some cooldown exercises.
The exercises are listed below:
- Hamstring stretch
- Calf stretch
- Hamstring stretch
- Quad stretch
- Stationary bike with a low resistance
- Slow walking
- Leg swings (front and back)
- Arm circles (forward and backward)
- Ankle circles (both directions)
- Neck rolls (slow and controlled)
- Self-Myofascial Release
To further reduce the pain of physical therapy, you can ice your sore muscles or heat them with a heating pad. Remember to keep yourself hydrated.
How Long Does Physical Therapy Take to Show Results?
As discussed above, your therapy is wholly factored in your injury, body type, weight, healing rate, diet, and environment.
However, some recorded recovery timelines exist for specific body parts, which includes:
- Muscle: 2-4 weeks.
- Cartilage: Variable- improved with better mechanical alignment
- Tendons: 4-6 weeks.
- Ligaments: 10-12 weeks.
- Bone: 6-8 weeks.
Factors that Contribute to Physical Therapy
Review the factors crucial to your physical therapy and determine its success.
- Age
- Weight
- Injury
- Underlying disease
- Body type
- Strength
- Range of motion
- Muscle function
- Skin integrity
- Mobility
- Workplace
- Home environment
- Diet
- Sleep pattern
- Flexibility
- Habits
- Posture
- Genetics
- Medical history
- Mental health
- Hormonal activity
- Climate
- Daily routine
- Height
- Nutrition level
…and more. But the most important thing is your dedication, so instead of focusing on “how long is physical therapy?” Try to focus on “what can I do to heal better” and “how can I get the most benefit out of physical therapy?”
Conclusion
The longevity of physical therapy depends on your overall health, injury, and the abovementioned factors. Still, the physical therapist is the main element that will determine its success.
Remember that physical therapy is the most effective treatment. It’s better to consult an expert to understand your injury condition and help you reach your goals at the right time so you don’t end up in pain even after investing money and time in physical therapy.
Biofix Therapy has an extraordinary and can help diagnose the injury, discuss the goals, map the plan, and educate you. We will evaluate your progress and make decisions to speed up your recovery so you will be pain-free soon.
So don’t stress yourself out about the complications of your injury. Let us handle all your painful concerns. Schedule your appointment now!
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