What to Expect with Physical Therapy

Stiffness and pain from injury can limit your movement and ability to function. Physical therapy helps you reset and recalibrate with exercises and other tools to regain strength, endurance, posture and movement.

Physical therapy will help you recover from injuries and muscle overuse so you can successfully return to the activities of your daily life.

Our Approach to Physical Therapy

We help patients of all ages from premature infants to seniors. Whatever your age, we want to help you return to your independent, active lifestyle. We have multiple physical therapy locations across Indiana. Our licensed therapists have the experience to treat many conditions.

IU Health Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation offers complete inpatient and outpatient services. Our goal is to help you maximize your treatment and recovery.

We focus on treating the whole patient—mind, body and spirit—not just the injury. We design our treatment for your needs. For your injury, illness or disease, we'll address the following:

• Prevention
• Evaluation
• Treatment
• Rehabilitation

Your Physical Therapy Treatment Plan

Physical therapy involves a variety of techniques to address your pain or mobility problems. Your treatment plan will be customized for your needs. You’ll also learn exercises you can do at home to help you recover faster.

With physical therapy, we restore function lost due to many illnesses and injuries, some including:

• Sports injury
• Congenital disorders
• Neurological trauma
• Repetitive motion
• Joint deterioration

Physical therapy helps you reduce pain. It also helps you improve your strength, endurance and movement. We'll do this with exercises and other treatments. That way you can get back to your activities of everyday life.

Depending on your unique treatment plan, your physical therapy may include:

• Muscle strengthening and retraining
• Cardiovascular strengthening
• Individualized exercise
• Pre/post-surgery rehabilitation
• Gait retraining
• Pain management
• Manual therapy
• Dry needling
• Blood flow restriction training
• Pelvic floor physical therapy
• Balance and vestibular rehabilitation
• Soft tissue mobilization with ASTYM
• Sports physical therapy
• Wound care
• Training for use of a wheelchair, walker, cane or a crutch
• Orthotics (braces, splints) and prosthetics (artificial limbs)
• Speech therapy
• 3D video motion analysis

Preparing for a Physical Therapy Appointment

A typical therapy session combines individualized exercise with hands-on techniques and technology to help improve your mobility and reduce pain. You’ll work one-on-one with a physical therapist or physical therapy assistant throughout your appointment.

Before Your First Physical Therapy Appointment

Make a List of Your Symptoms

Note if the pain is better or worse with certain movements, at certain times of day or on a certain part of your body.

Be Prepared with Your Medical History

Provide your physical therapist with as much information on your medical history as you can. Include any:

• Injuries or surgeries you’ve had
• Medication you take (prescription or over the counter, including supplements)
• Other information that affects your health

In case your referring provider is not an IU Health provider, please:

• Have your provider send medical records to us before your scheduled visit or bring the information with you during your visit. These may be sent via fax or through the mail.
• If you've had any imaging procedures such as X-ray, CT or MRI, be sure to bring reports or films with you. You may also have them sent to us by your provider.

During Your Appointment

Your therapist will perform an examination to check strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, posture and the mobility of your joints, muscles and other tissues. Your gait (how you walk), functional ability (such as getting up from a chair) or ability to bend and lift may also be checked.

• Wear comfortable clothes that you can move and exercise in.
• Be prepared to follow your therapist’s instructions and complete all recommended exercises to recover fully.

Why IU Health for Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation

Our specialists will help guide you to recovery. We provide treatment for a wide range of diagnoses, pathologies and disabilities.

IU Health has dozens of locations located throughout Indiana. We use the latest technology, research and staff training. That allows us to provide innovative and cost-effective approaches for you.

Questions to Ask Your Physical Therapist

• How long can I expect treatment to last?
• Will my PT be painful?
• Are there exercises I can do at home?
• Do I need to avoid any activities while I’m recovering?
• Are there things I need to avoid so my pain doesn’t become worse?
• How can I prevent my pain from coming back?
• What do I wear to physical therapy?