Is this normal? How soon can I expect to be back to 100%? Why is this taking so long? These types of worries and questions are very common for patients in physical therapy and they do not always have an easy answer. Whether a patient is coming to physical therapy for post-surgical needs or pain affecting a shoulder, knee, or low back pain, there are frequently concerns about the recovery process and how long it might take, and frequently the process is much slower than patients expect it to be which can be frustrating for patients, family and at times for the treating PT.
When I began my career as a physical therapist, I was often flustered by these types of questions from patients because, without a lot of experience, it is difficult to have a confident answer regarding timelines for recovery. Oftentimes, I would find myself getting frustrated right along with patients because I, too, expected change to be faster and would second guess our plan of care when a patient didn’t seem to be improving fast enough. I remember discussing this with a coworker who suggested writing out specific timelines on my desk for typical recovery to give myself a reference- it may take 12 weeks to see significant change with Achille’s tendinopathy, long-term recovery for a total knee surgery can be up to a year, swelling can last up to a year after ankle/foot surgery-to name a few. Although patients may have heard these facts from their referring physician or surgeon, it is often missed and it is our job as physical therapists to educate and help fill those gaps of knowledge for patients because it is an important part of the recovery process to have reasonable expectations. This limits fear and anxiety about recovery to a degree and in my experience can give patients confidence in their journey to recovery. The fear of “never getting better” is reduced when they understand what is expected.
I was discussing this topic with a patient recently who was recovering from orthopedic surgery, and he told me: “I can’t measure my progress in the day to day, I have to look back at what I couldn’t do a week ago and compare that to what I can do now.” This insight is an important perspective, especially in our culture, which often looks for instant gratification or change, which is not the reality in the rehabilitation process. It is challenging in the day-to-day recovery from an injury. Patients are often hurting, not sleeping well, and frustrated that they can’t do all the activities they like to do especially when it seems to occur day after day. Often, though, if they look back, they are making steady progress but it has to be looked at from a wider perspective. Having reasonable expectations helps patients to see improvement is occurring allowing for patients to remain hopeful, encouraged, and engaged in the rehabilitation process.
Each of our 23 locations at Hulst Jepsen Physical Therapy is equipped with a staff of therapists trained to help you understand the expectations of recovery and are very willing to do so. We want you to be as successful as possible and answering your questions, concerns, and reservations is an essential part of our jobs to get you back doing what you love! Call us at 616-256-8679 or any of our 23 locations to schedule an appointment today and let us get the process of recovery started!