A former patient called recently and wanted to come to IFAST Physical Therapy to do his post-knee surgery rehab. We told him that wouldn’t be the best choice and that he should see the nearest PT for his rehab.
He asked why.
We told him that he didn’t need our approach to his post-surgical physical therapy for his knee. He would need to see his physical therapist several times a week and the recovery process is rather predictable in most cases. He didn’t really need a specialized approach as we use at IFAST.
Not everyone needs IFAST Physical Therapy and our approach is not for everyone.
We typically don’t need to see patients more than once every 1-2 weeks.
We encourage patients to continue to exercise or active lifestyles within their capabilities.
Many of our patients are restored to normal activities in just a few visits.
Traditional physical therapy is often sufficient to deal with common pain-related issues associated with injuries or post-surgical rehabilitation. It’s not uncommon for me to tell those that come in for a free consultation that they should go see one of my PT friends for their rehab. Some people don’t need my approach to get better.
IFAST Physical Therapy specializes in complex cases where traditional physical therapy falls short or when insurance runs out and you still have pain-related limitations on your lifestyle.
For instance, if you sprain your ankle, in many cases the process is rather simple.
Protect the injury from getting worse.
Gradually restore and increase ankle range of motion without making the injury worse.
Progressively expose the ankle to more stress as you tolerate it.
Recondition your ankle to the level of performance that you’ll need. For instance, if you’re an athlete, you’ll need to be able to run, jump, change direction quickly, etc.
Just about any physical therapist worth their weight can help you do that.
But what if it’s 8-12 weeks later and you still have ankle pain? Most human body tissues like ligaments, tendons, and even bones will heal in 2-3 months. If your pain continues, then what do you do?
Now you have a complex problem that requires a more specialized approach. Maybe you’re no longer dealing with an ankle problem, but an ankle result that causes pain to persist.
Perhaps you were told that this pain will eventually go away, but it still hasn’t.
Maybe you were told that this is best it can get, but you’re not satisfied with that answer.
You may be able to exercise or even play your sport, but you’re playing through a nagging pain.
Just like any medical problem, sometimes a visit to your family doctor is the best approach and solves the problem. Other times you need a specialist to help restore your health.
Recovery from a knee surgery or shoulder surgery rarely requires any specialized treatment. The process is very standardized and follows a predictable process.
However, in some cases, shoulder range of motion cannot be recovered and pain persists. Sometimes, you don’t get full knee motion back before your season starts. In other cases, your back pain doesn’t resolve as quickly as it should.
Maybe your back has been bothering you for a few years, and you want to get back to your active lifestyle.
By all means, follow the traditional approach. You can be successful. There’s a lot of great physical therapists in Indianapolis.
If that doesn’t work, it’s time to get a new perspective.
We realize that sometimes it’s difficult to believe that there can be something different that can help, especially if you’ve had pain for a very long time. That’s why IFAST Physical Therapy offers a free injury consultation to anyone who’s been dealing with a pain-related issue that doesn’t seem to have a solution.
If you know someone that’s still struggling with pain that interrupts their active lifestyle, please tell them to give us a call. There’s no cost and no obligation for our free consultation. We can help.
P. S. if you’re ready to get back to the gym and you’re not sure how to get started, download my book for free at All Gain, No Pain.
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