Physical therapy is highly personalized; therapists will spend much of your first visit gathering information. “I ask a lot of questions to get to know the person and learn about what they want to achieve through physical therapy,” says Kennedy. A PT plan will develop over several stages:
Initial Evaluation A thorough physical exam will be completed to assess strength, spasticity, balance, gait, and endurance and to determine what is contributing to your challenges with mobility, says Kennedy.
Treatment Plan After your assessment, your therapist will work with you to identify meaningful goals and improve your quality of life. “We want to make sure that we are working on things that are important to you,” says Kennedy.
Ongoing Sessions The number of sessions you’ll have with your physical therapist will depend on what your doctor recommends, as well as your goals and practical considerations, such as insurance coverage.
At-Home Exercises All the experts agree: Exercising consistently at home is the key to improving and maintaining those improvements. Ray encourages her clients to keep practicing what they’ve learned. She also tries to tailor at-home exercises to the activities they enjoy the most. “Home exercise does not always have to include a traditional set of structured exercises,” she says.
Jacobson says, “The goal is to build exercise as a habit to integrate exercise as a part of their lifestyle. Our brain and bodies have a remarkable ability to adapt to challenges we place upon them, but these changes happen incrementally over time. Life happens, and it’s inevitable to miss days, but long-term participation is what’s most important.”
Communication With the Healthcare Team Your physical therapist is part of your overall healthcare team, which also includes your primary care doctor, neurologist, and other healthcare providers.
Make sure that your providers know that you’re working with a physical therapist; they may have suggestions for areas that you could work on to improve your symptoms and help address any deficits.
If you haven’t connected with a physical therapist, Jacobson suggests asking your doctor about seeing one who specializes in neurologic conditions, especially if you have any concerns about your mobility or are unsure how best to utilize exercise to help slow disability.