Because all injuries and rehabilitation plans differ from person to person, it’s never easy to give an exact timeline for when you can expect to be done with physical therapy. Some people will recover quickly, while others will have more measured progress, and that can make it difficult to know when to call it quits on your PT routine. In today’s blog we take a closer look at how you can know when is the right time to stop pursuing physical therapy exercises.
When Will I Be Done With Physical Therapy?
There are basically two different answers to the question of “When can I stop pursuing physical therapy?” But before we explore those answers, know that the decision to stop physical therapy is not one that you should make on your own. However you arrive at this decision, it should be made after close consultation with your physical therapist, your primary care doctor, your surgeon or any relevant medical parties. If they are seeing the same things you are seeing and agree it is time to end your PT schedule, then it’s indeed time to stop.
Oftentimes your physical therapist will only reach this conclusion if one of two scenarios develop. Those scenarios are:
- You’ve Reached Maximum Medical Improvement – This is the ideal reason to stop pursuing physical therapy. If you have reached a pre-injury level of fitness, you’ve achieved all your physical rehabilitation goals and your physical therapist grants you clearance to return to full athletic activities, it may be their recommendation that you discontinue seeking out physical therapy services. They may still recommend that you pursue some home-based exercises, but you may no longer need to consult with a specialist at a clinic. If you’ve progressed through your rehab and checked all the necessary recovery boxes along the way, it may be time to stop pursuing in-person PT sessions.
- You’re No Longer Seeing Progress – While this point could technically apply to some of the individuals in the first scenario, let’s assume they are not one in the same. If you have failed to reach your expected maximum recovery and are no longer seeing progress with your therapy exercises, it may be time to pursue a different treatment. However, be aware that dropping PT will not be the first recommendation in the event that your progress slows or stalls. Instead, your physical therapist may opt to change your PT program or ask you about your adherence to any home-based exercise routines they’ve recommended. If you aren’t following through on your end, or your physical therapy exercises are too easy, these could be the reasons behind your lack of progress, and PT will need to be adjusted, not stopped. Conversely, if you are giving it your all during your in-person and home-based sessions and your therapist has tried to tweak your rehab exercises to help you continue to make progress and yet you’re still hitting a wall, it may be time to rethink your approach to recovery. Again, don’t make this call on your own without consulting your doctor and your physical therapist and making sure you all see the same thing.
The vast majority of patients stop physical therapy once they reach maximum medical improvement, even if that doesn’t mean that they are back to a pre-injury level of fitness. If you’ve made the strongest recovery possible, it may be time to put an end to your PT services. It’s very rare that your team will agree to recommend stopping physical therapy if you have yet to reach maximum medical improvement, but there are instances where this move is in the patient’s best interest. We can help guide you in this decision making process so that you are more likely to achieve the best outcomes for your situation.
For more information, or to get started with a physical therapy routine, pick up the phone and call the team at OrthoRehab Specialists today at (612) 339-2041.