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Please Tell Me EVERYTHING I NEED to KNOW About Physical Therapy

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Please Tell Me EVERYTHING I NEED to KNOW About Physical Therapy Everything you need to know about Physical Therapy Please Tell Me EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW about Physical Therapy, But didn’t know how to ask. From the industry leader and founder of CompletePT Pool & Land Physical Therapy Lynda Huey About The Author Lynda Huey Lynda Huey, M.S., founder of Huey's Athletic Network, is a former athlete and coach whose own injuries led her into the water to find fitness and healing. She was educated at San Jose State University where she starred on the track and field team during its golden years. She earned a masters degree in kinesiology, coached volleyball, field hockey, and track and field at several universities before writing her autobiography and starting her own business. She pioneered the use of water training with Olympic athletes in 1983 and wrote four books on water exercise. She has written for most of American's top sports magazines, hosted a sports show on KCRW, and worked for NBC at the Seoul Olympic Games. She lectures regularly in Australia, Italy, and the U.S. and appears on TV in those countries. Since 1993, Huey has combined her knowledge of working with injured Olympic athletes with the expertise of physical therapists to create an excellent set of aquatic therapy protocols. Our eclectic mix of remarkable physical therapists offer orthopedic, rheumatological, and neurological patients a progressive environment in which to regain full function. Welcome You have just made the first step towards recovery. By downloading this super-informative and easy to read insight into the physical therapy world, you have empowered yourself to make educated decisions. I have been helping people just like you for over 30 years. I have seen your injuries, I have listened to your questions, I have heard your challenges, and as a result I am able to offer tailored physical therapy programs that get fantastic results. The following pages are filled with physical therapy questions and answers that you won’t find anywhere else. We help people get better, you’re on the right road. 2 | P a g e www.CompletePT.com 1. What is physical therapy? Physical Therapy is the treatment of disease, injury, or deformity by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment, and exercise rather than by drugs or surgery. 2. What are physical therapists? Physical therapists are highly-educated, licensed health care professionals who can help patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility - in many cases without expensive surgery and often reducing the need for long-term use of prescription medications and their side effects. 3. Who benefits from physical therapy? People who want to stay active People who are injured People who are about to have surgery - prehab People who have had surgery – rehab People with pains during their everyday life 4. What happens if I am not happy with my physical therapy? If you are not entirely satisfied with any treatment on any day, simply tell us what went wrong and we will refund your money. 5. Can I talk to a physical therapist before I come in or schedule an appointment? YES. If you’re unsure of how we can HELP you get better and would like to discuss your condition with a licensed physical therapist you can either have a FREE 15 minute one-on-one phone meeting, or a FREE in-person 15 minute consultation. Just call us on 310-845-9690 to set it up. 6. How long will my treatment last? Physical therapy appointments last anywhere from 30 - 60 minutes. 7. How many appointments should I have per week? It depends on your diagnosis and the recommended treatment plan, provided by your doctor and the physical therapist. With that said, most patients come twice a week. 8. How many weeks will I be in Physical Therapy? Typically, patients are seen for a total of 8-12 weeks of therapy. 3 | P a g e www.CompletePT.com 9. Will you tell me what’s wrong with me? Yes, part of the evaluation (your first appointment) will be dedicated to telling YOU what is wrong with you. We will do it in easy to understand terms and we can answer any follow up questions you may have. Why me, what did I do wrong, did I inherit this? 10. What is Traditional Land Physical Therapy? Components of our land therapy program include trunk stabilization, abdominal strengthening, upper/lower body strengthening, flexibility training, posture re-education, cardiovascular training, lifting techniques, and biomechanics. 11. What is Pool Therapy? Pool/aquatic therapy is the safest form of rehabilitation, especially for weightbearing injuries, because it takes place in the buoyancy of water and thereby removes impact and trauma from weightbearing joints. In pool therapy, the water offers buoyant support for the body, resistance to bodily movement, a natural reduction in pain, and a relaxing and refreshing feel. Combined with traditional land physical therapy, it offers the quickest way to return to normal daily activities. CompletePT's pool program offers a four-prong approach to solving rehabilitation challenges: 1. We provide specific rehab exercises designed to help heal the injury. 2. We include a safe, progressive total body fitness program that helps guide the entire body toward fitness while the injury heals. 3. We offer guidance to correct faulty biomechanics that may have contributed to the injury. 4. We focus on functions that must be performed by the patient in daily life. 12. Should I do pool or land therapy, who decides? Sometimes your doctor will specify whether you should have pool or land therapy. Your physical therapist will also review your condition and let you know if you can benefit from the pool. Ultimately it’s often up to the patient, which is great. You can see and hear the benefits of the pool and make an informed decision for yourself after the initial evaluation. 13. How will I get in the pool if I am wheelchair bound? We have a dedicated state of the art lift to get patients into the pool who need it. 14. Will I do land therapy after the pool? Most of our patients do transition from pool therapy to land therapy. 4 | P a g e www.CompletePT.com 15. Do you do land therapy? Yes, we have a complete land therapy program, the latest techniques and a full-sized professional gym for additional exercises that your therapist may recommend as part of your treatment program. 16. Are your physical therapists licensed? Yes, all of our physical therapists are licensed with the California Physical Therapy Board. 17. Do you have free parking? Yes! We have our own off-street parking that is safe and well lit. We have handicapped accessible automatic doors if you need them too. 18. Will I have to do home exercises? Most likely your physical therapist will give you some basic exercises to do at home between treatments. These exercises will be clearly explained, written down, complete with drawings where applicable. Your positive results depend on your efforts. 19. How long can I come for therapy? Your doctor and physical therapist will determine if you are appropriate for land therapy. If appropriate, your physical therapist will transition you into a land-based program 1 time a week with a gradual progression to 2-3 times per week. Your therapist may schedule a land visit to instruct you in a home program with follow-up visits to progress this program. 20. Will I see the same therapist? The physical therapist that evaluates you will be your primary physical therapist. He/she will establish your goals and monitor your progress. Since our program is created around a team approach, you may see different therapists through the course of your therapy. Our staff makes every effort to allow you to see the same therapist for most of your visits. All of our therapists meet regularly to review each patient's plan of care and communicate with each other on a daily basis to ensure that you are receiving the highest quality of care. 21. Will I have increased pain during or after treatment? We will make every effort to match your pain levels, symptoms, and current activity level to your treatment intensity and duration. Our goal is a pain-free treatment with, at most, a few hours of fatigue or increased soreness afterwards. We do not work through pain, except in several specific cases such as a total knee replacement or a frozen shoulder. It is important that you tell your therapist if an exercise is painful. 5 | P a g e www.CompletePT.com 22. Will I have to swim? No. You do not need to know how to swim to have a very effective treatment in the pool. Our patients work in a vertical position, rarely putting their face or head in the water. 23. Is your pool warm, I hate cold water! In a luxurious setting, our patients begin their rehabilitation in the 92-degree heated indoor pool where they can perform movements possible only in the buoyancy of water. 24. What should I bring to my pool visits? Bring a bathing suit, pool shoes and a towel. You must wear pool shoes to and from the locker rooms and the pool. If you are diabetic, you should also wear them in the pool. You may want to bring a shower cap to protect your hair. Shampoo, soap, and lotion are optional for your shower after your treatment. We have lockers available for you during the time of your appointment only. So you may want to bring a lock.
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