man holding shoulder in need of physical therapy

When Physical Therapy Doesn’t Work

What happens when the physical therapy you’ve been receiving isn’t having the desired result or meeting your expectations as you hoped? Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to follow through with a rehabilitative treatment plan and not see the anticipated progress. Understanding what’s at the root of physical therapy routines that don’t deliver the best results is the start of fine-tuning your solution toward regained health.

Receiving physical therapy is highly beneficial, especially for its non-invasive assistance in treating a number of functional difficulties. However, let’s take a look at what may be inhibiting total recovery.

What Hinders Physical Therapy Progress?

Are you seeing little to no progress or even feeling as though physical therapy is making your condition worse? Along with speaking with your physical therapists, you should look into some reasons this might be happening. 

— Wrong Medical Assumptions

Any time your condition undergoes assumptions and isn’t fully assessed to identify the underlying reason for your need for physical therapy, your treatment will often fail. There’s no need to proceed with a medical treatment plan that was unclear from the start. When the pain won’t go away even by following every instruction given, you might want to undergo additional testing to better understand what is the true cause of your issue. 

— Lack of Clarity and Flexibility in Treatment Protocol

Your physical therapy plan should always be clearly laid out with milestones to track your progress along the way. It should also include the flexibility to make adjustments as you go through the program and follow the guidance of your therapist. A lack of clarity or communication from either yourself or your therapist hinders your body from achieving what it needs from physical therapy. 

— Incorrectly Mimicking Therapy Exercises at Home

Your healing process often hinges on your ability to perform the movements and exercises your therapist has shown you correctly in between sessions. You may be waiting to see results or feeling as though the pain has increased due to this reason. At home, if you are skipping your recommended exercises or failing to accurately mimic the same postures and movements shown, you’ll likely do yourself more harm than good. Perhaps through a lack of communication on either end, how to perform the exercises at home was unclear and you might have questions that have not yet been addressed. 

Communicating with Your Physical Therapist

Good communication with your physical therapist and medical team can help speed up your recovery process and save you unnecessary delay and additional costs. Don’t be hesitant to ask for clarification or go over your instructions to ensure you understand and are practicing the movements correctly at home. If you are doubtful that physical therapy is the solution, discuss these concerns with your medical team and see what other alternatives might work best for addressing your condition. 

Becoming an active participant in your health and recovery involves diligently listening to your body and cooperating with whichever therapy or medical recommendations best address your medical condition. 

South Coast Post Acute is Southern California’s Premier Post-Acute Partner

Better health and healing are possible with the right professional oversight. At South Coast Post Acute, we deliver specialized skilled nursing services to restore health, regain autonomy and reduce the occurrences of rehospitalization. 

South Coast Post Acute is here for you, at any age. Our innovative care, experienced staff, and welcoming accommodations combine to bring you the high level of care you’ve come to expect from Southern California’s leading post-acute provider. 

Contact us today for more information on how we can help on your journey back to restored health.

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