Going to physical therapy isn’t high on most people’s to-do lists. You’re there because of a nagging pain or injury, and will likely have to keep visiting your physical therapist over the next few weeks or longer to get the problem under control. That means you have to put in plenty of work to help put yourself on a path to feeling like yourself again ― and physical therapists are aware that it’s a big ask for many.
“Exercises in particular tend to take time to produce desired results,” said Kelly Short, a physical therapist and director of the Center for Restorative Therapies at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. “We all can recognize that it takes time to build muscle strength, stretch out a tight group of muscles, or change our posture.”
More than 50 million Americans undergo physical therapy each year, which means you’re not the only one going through this form of rehab. But while physical therapists are consistently there to help coach you through recovery, there are a few missteps you may be making that unintentionally annoy them ― and that get in the way of your treatment.
We tapped four physical therapists to learn more about the biggest things patients do that frustrate them, plus why they should be fixed ASAP.
