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How Do I Know if Physical Therapy is Working?

by | May 26, 2023 | Health Tips

Person Raising Her Hands

When you undergo physical therapy, it’s natural to feel anxious and uncertain about the progress you’re making. After all, you’re investing your time, energy, and money into this treatment, and you want to see tangible results. But how do you know if physical therapy is actually working – especially if it’s early on in your treatment?

It’s a question that many of our clients ask. Today, we’ll cover some of the signs that your physical therapy is working.

➡ Related Content: Why Your Physical Therapy Isn’t Working (And How to Fix It)

1. Reduced pain and swelling

“Less pain” is obviously a sign that something is working, but it might not be so obvious when you’re experiencing chronic pain.

Even if you’re still experiencing pain after starting physical therapy, you may notice the following changes:

  • Pain is less frequent
  • When pain occurs, it’s less intense
  • You’re able to move without causing pain

So just because you’re still experiencing pain doesn’t mean that your physical therapy isn’t working – take a look at how often you experience pain, the intensity and if previous triggers still trigger pain. You’ll likely find that you’ve seen a reduction in pain.

2. Awareness of triggers and improved daily function

A subtle sign that your physical therapy is working is an increased awareness of how your body moves, and what motions, actions, and habits trigger pain. After a few physical therapy sessions, you’ll likely start “catching” yourself more and more as you do a certain action that triggers pain. 

This increased awareness shows you that your physical therapy is working! One of the benefits of physical therapy is an increased awareness of your body so that you can avoid actions that aggravate your pain.

Likewise, you’ll probably notice that day-to-day activities are less painful with this awareness in mind. As you recognize what actions and motions cause pain and begin to avoid them, your daily function will improve. Many of our clients notice this the most in activities like walking down stairs, carrying groceries, and lying in bed – they no longer feel the pain doing these actions that they did previously.

➡ Related Content: The Benefits of Regular Physical Therapy

3. Things just feel…easier

If your exercises feel a lot easier, that’s a sign that your physical therapy is working. Your body is hard at work strengthening itself so that tasks that once took a lot of effort now feel much easier.

Likewise, you may notice yourself returning to hobbies and activities you avoided – or even trying new ones. This change is often subtle, and it’s often something you don’t really pay attention to until you stop to think about it.

You may also notice that your anxiety is reduced. The toll pain takes on your body is much more than just the physical. Many of our physical therapy clients experience a reduction in their anxiety alongside a reduction in their pain and improved daily function.

Physical therapy can help improve your quality of life and eliminate pain for good – however, it’s not always easy to measure your progress and track your success. Look for the signs above to see if your physical therapy is working – you might be surprised to find that you’re further along on your journey than you thought you were. 

Physical Therapy With PRO Therapy

At PRO Therapy you will always experience precise, caring, and one on one care from a Licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy – no tech aides, no rehab assistants, no personal trainers – to help you decrease pain by the time you walk out the door of your first session and create a plan to adhere to going forward.

If you want to make physical therapy a success, partnering with one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy is going to help you avoid future pain and resolve current pain.

We Love to Help People:

  • Keep Active – So you can run after your kids all day, take your grandchildren to the park with ease, enjoy a nice round of golf, run or walk anytime that suits you.
  • Stay Free From Painkillers – So you’re not always reaching in the cupboard for pills to ease the pain whenever it strikes, getting only a “quick fix” when you need a “permanent fix” – PLUS they’re no good for your long-term health, “mask” the pain and certainly don’t actually do anything to fix the problem.
  • Avoid Dangerous Injections/Surgery – We’ll help you get to the root cause of what’s going on – so you don’t have to get to the point of having to face injections or surgery.
  • Found Out What’s Wrong – We’ll help give you peace of mind and ensure that your problem is “corrected” and “healed” properly – also give you a set of exercises perfectly catered to you to help speed up recovery.
  • Get More Enjoyment Out Of Life – So you can enjoy quality time with family and friends that your daily aches and pains steal from you – also finally get a good night of sleep without constantly tossing and turning.

➡ Read Now: Why Our Physical Therapy Team Are Amazing (And What They Have Taught Me)

Are you ready to make physical therapy work for you? Give us a call! We offer complimentary phone and in-person consultations. We aim to meet our patients wherever they are in their journey and answer all questions we can to ensure a smooth experience at PRO Therapy. We want to help you make the best decision for you!

Dr. Kevin Spahr

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Read our reviews from other people like you who came to see the physical therapy team – and left much healthier and happier.
Excellent
PRO Therapy
Based on 45 reviews
Misty L.
Kevin at ProTherapy is excellent! He is able to listen to feedback and discern next steps for meeting clients where they are at on their healing journey. He really cares about his client's wellness. His guidance as been spot on and appreciated! I will recommend ProTherapy to family and friends.
angela martinez D.
I was referred to PRO Therapy by my chiropractor. I was in desperate need of a good PT after very minimal mediocre treatment at another well known clinic. My first visit I knew my experience would be different with PRO Therapy. There was adequate time to share the history following my knee injury and I felt like I was taken seriously. Dr. Spahr formulated a plan that I was comfortable with and we were off. He made it clear that he wanted to see if we could truly heal the knee without another cortisone injection. I love that I felt included in my treatment plan and am always asked if I have questions about what we’re doing. Dr. Spahr is very good at what he does, he’s super knowledgeable for sure! He has a very good and natural ability to meet you where you’re at and moving at a pace that works for your body. My knee issues are resolving at a remarkable pace without another cortisone injection! When I started with PRO Therapy, I thought at the end of it all I would likely need another injection but that’s not the case at all. I would absolutely recommend you give PRO Therapy a try if you’re considering. I’ve referred my husband and can’t wait to see what kind of results he will have. Thanks Dr. Spahr!
Linda S.
I had the pleasure of working with Dr Kalvin,I had tendinitis in my knee and hamstring, after 6wks of P.T my pain level went from a 10 down to a 1. He was absolutely amazing, very informative and patient with me. Thank you so much for taking care of me 💖
Knel L.
Went in for help with my knee as it usually gets tight when I run. We went through a few sessions and honed in on what the problem potentially is. Dr. Kelvyn pointed a few things out that I wouldn't have figured out myself. Since the problem is probably form and/or muscle related it won't be an overnight fix. I get a set of exercises to do each visit that address my areas of weakness. It was good working with Dr. Kelvyn and definitely recommend checking out PRO Therapy
Debbie E.
I had 5 sessions of physical ther6with Dr Kelvin. This was my first experience. I felt listened to & he made every effort helpful my symptoms. I enjoyed the dry needeling experience. I have had some pain rein these 5 sessions and look forward to more progress with the exercises he gave me to do this winter while snowbirds. Clean clinic and friendly staff. Much appreciated. Thank you,
Debra Erickson
Naser A.
Susan I.
I strongly recommend Pro Therapy for anyone seeking physical therapy treatment. I have worked with several of the therapists at Pro Therapy and have been very pleased with all of them and the treatments they prescribed. I had PT for my shoulder, pre and post hip replacement surgery, and most recently I have been working with Dr. Spahr for back pain. He has combined exercise with other treatments such as dry needling and types of massage. My pain lessened and became manageable very quickly. With continued treatments almost all my back pain was gone and I was able to return to physical chores such as gardening.
My goal after hip surgery was to be able to walk 8 miles on uneven surfaces. Pro therapy helped me to achieve that. Besides being very successful therapists, they are very friendly, good listeners, and are easy to work with. I am very happy with all the treatments I have received there, will definitely go back to them if need be, and without a doubt recommend them to anyone in need of physical therapy.
Dylan P.
Kevin helped me alleviate muscular compensation patterns I had developed from an old injury. For years I had endured pain as a byproduct from those compensations and had visited numerous physical therapists/chiropractors to no avail. Kevin was the first PT that I felt was actually listening to what I thought was going on with my body and together we built a working theory on identifying the issues and fixing them. He suggested I pair my physical therapy with chiropractic through north suburban healthcare (same building) and two months later I feel like I can see the light again. My physical therapy exercises are not exacerbating my symptoms like they used to from other PTs, and I finally feel like I am rebuilding a solid foundation to eventually enjoy the active lifestyle I have been missing out on for years. In short, if you feel like you are at the end of your rope, give Pro therapy a shot. I’m glad I did.
Barbara J.
It’s been a step-by-step positive experience. Therapy has helped me learn how to take care of my shoulder surgery. And I have regained strength and range of motion. I didn’t have before surgery.
yousuf B.
Amazing staff and practice! They made me feel very welcome and fixed my shoulder pain in no time! Definitely recommend for anyone looking to visit!