5 Mistakes Patients Make in Physical Therapy and How to Help Avoid Them
As a practicing Physical Therapist, I see a wide variety of patients—often up to 65 appointments each and every week. Throughout my experience, I have noticed several common mistakes that can significantly hinder their recovery processes. Here are the Top 5 mistakes I frequently observe among my patients, along with practical tips to help them avoid these pitfalls and enhance their healing journey:
Your patients are not making time to perform their home exercise program (HEP) on their own; thinking “I go to therapy 2x/week why do I need to complete this independently?”
Make sure you educate your patients on the importance of adhering to their prescribed HEP. Compare it to a daily task to complete, like brushing their teeth— it’s an essential act that will help them towards their recovery. Creating a routine that is concise, achievable and practical can help them stay on track.
Some patients think that “no pain, no gain” is the way to achieve their goals in physical therapy, when in reality it could be making your injury worse.
It is your job as their Physical Therapist to educate your patients on the difference between discomfort and pain. Making sure they understand that their physical therapy exercises may cause muscle soreness, however sharp, stabbing, and intense pain is a sign to stop until further evaluating can be done.
Patients are often doing too much outside of their physical therapy sessions— patients are doing activities that are contributing to an extended healing time and potentially further injury (ie: continuing to play pickleball with rotator cuff tendonitis, continuing to run with plantar fascitis, etc)
As their physical therapist, it is important to establish clear boundaries during the first evaluation and each session about what activities are appropriate. Explaining the reasons for these limits can help build trust and understanding with your patient.
Patients think that progress will happen overnight and expect immediate results. You have to remember that even though progress seems slow, it is important to celebrate the small wins!!
Make sure you are setting realistic goals and expectations with your patients, outlining a realistic timeline that they can follow. Also, regularly reminding your patients that they are headed towards their goals, even if the progress is incremental.
Patients sometimes fail to inform their Physical Therapist about any changes in their condition on whether it is improving or worsening all because they think it is part of the process.
As a Physical Therapist, you must encourage your patients to share how they’re feeling at each appointment you have with them. Let them know that their feedback is imperative to their success and to not be afraid to let you know if things need to be adjusted.
Now that I have reviewed the top five common mistakes that I frequently observe my patients making on a daily basis, along with effective strategies to combat these issues, it is now your turn to take action and help your patients find their own path to success on their healing journey toward improved health and well-being!
