If you’ve had surgery, such as an ACL repair or a joint replacement, chances are your doctor told you the next step was to go to physical therapy to aid your recovery process. But is physical therapy worth it in the long run?

Physical therapy helps you decrease pain, rebuild strength, and improve balance and range of motion to get back to your work, sports, or active lifestyle. The goal of physical therapy is to help you move better and strengthen weakened muscles.

Benefits of Physical Therapy

After an injury or surgery, it may take a while for you to feel back at your full strength. One of the main benefits of physical therapy is improving your healing process. Other benefits include:

• Improved range of motion
• Improved strength
• Increased coordination and balance
• Injury prevention
• Decreased pain
• Improved surgery outcomes
• Ability to return to sports, work, or other activities

There is no one-size-fits-all plan when it comes to physical therapy. That’s why your physical therapist will sit down with you and create an individualized treatment plan tailored to your wants, needs, and goals for your recovery.

What to Expect

During physical therapy, your therapist will collaborate with you to develop real-life conditions to make sure you are regaining the skills needed to perform daily activities. Some services or treatments your therapist may recommend include:

• Exercise
• Aquatic therapy
• Blood flow restrictive training
• Education on reducing and preventing symptoms

Depending on your treatment plan, your therapist may provide you with exercises that you can do on your own in addition to your one-on-one appointments.

What if I Don’t Go?

It is important that you take physical therapy seriously. Without physical therapy, you may be at risk of more pain, joint or muscle stiffness, or limited range of motion. Other risks of skipping out on physical therapy may include:

• Reduced flexibility
• Increased chance of re-injury
• Increased risk of needing corrective surgery
• Prolonged or incomplete recovery
• Muscle weakness

If you have questions or concerns about receiving physical therapy due to injury, surgery, or another condition, talk to your provider or a therapy specialist.