Is Physical Therapy Painful?

Many people go through physical therapy every year. It can help you get back to 100 percent after a car crash or serious sports injury, improve your range of motion and mobility, and have several other health benefits. But it may not be the most pleasant experience as you tread the road to recovery. This begs the question: is physical therapy painful? 

Your physical therapist in Denver can answer any and all of your questions and concerns, but in this article, we’re hoping to save you a trip or phone call for a consultation. We’ll break down what goes into many physical therapy sessions, how long you can expect to be in physical therapy, how much it can cost you, and more. 

You’ll be happy to learn that many people throughout the United States and beyond attend physical therapy every single year. According to WebMD, physical therapy is a common practice seen in several environments and used by millions, including: 

• Hospitals
• Outpatient clinics
• Sports medicine centers
• Private medical offices
• Nursing homes
• Assisted living homes
• Rehab centers
• Offices and work sites
• Schools or colleges

In many cases, physical therapists can come to your home as well for a singular visit or as part of a recovery campaign for your specific case. 

What Is Physical Therapy?

Physical therapy is a care practice that aims to reduce pain and help you move and function better throughout your daily life. You may need physical therapy to: 

• Remove pain
• Improve ability, range of motion, movement
• Recover or prevent reinjury
• As a means to bypass surgery
• Rehab after a sports injury, or car accident
• Manage a chronic illness
• Control your bladder or bowels
• Improve balance
• Recover after giving birth
• Adapt to a new lifestyle, like an artificial limb
• And many more cases

What Does Physical Therapy Treatment Look Like?

Depending on your injury, condition, or goals, physical therapy treatment could look very different. For example, recovering from a sports injury will provide different treatment options than adapting to an artificial limb. Your physical therapist will tailor a treatment plan according to your specific case. 

In the first consultation or appointment, a physical therapist will conduct tests to determine your ability to perform certain physical activities, such as moving, bending, reaching, grasping, walking, climbing stairs, posture or balance, and more. They’ll also monitor your heartbeat and general condition while performing these tasks to help make a determination about proceeding. 

Then they will construct a treatment plan based on your results. Depending on the situation, it could take days, weeks, or months of treatment. Your treatment might include: stretching, certain prescribed exercises, one-on-one sessions with your physical therapist, massage therapy, heat or cold therapy, practice with tools or gadgets aimed to streamline your recovery, and more. 

Other potential treatment options could include kinesio taping, dry needling, acupuncture, yoga, and more. Your treatment might be adjusted or changed entirely if you or your physical therapist don’t see improvement during the process. They also might recommend certain dietary supplements, like Nerve Control 911, that aim to relieve or improve specific symptoms associated with your condition. 

Does Physical Therapy Treatment Hurt?

In general, physical therapy shouldn’t hurt, although your experience could vary if you’re recovering from a serious and potentially life-changing injury. Relearning to use certain muscles and limbs could make you feel sore or weak, and may sometimes cause pain. Also, you may leave a deep tissue massage or exercise session with soreness or pain, but this is generally a good sign that your treatment is working, so long as you see improvement. 

Sometimes, tough training is required to recover and regain strength in an injured limb. These exercises aren’t meant to hurt, but the scar tissue in certain areas could not perform like you need to, leading to soreness or pain. If you have a particularly serious case, like trying to learn to walk again, the road to recovery could be quite difficult.

But the vast majority of physical therapy treatments are non-invasive, painless, and actually provide relief and promote positive body health and performance as soon as you leave the appointment or session. But everyone will respond differently to physical therapy treatments. Your body type, injury history, genetics, activities, and alignment all will affect your treatment plan and will determine your experience. 

How Long Will Physical Therapy Last?

Long story short, it depends. 

One physical therapy session will generally last 30 to 60 minutes, but how many sessions you need will determine your length of recovery. Most patients have one or two sessions per week, but again, this depends on your injury and recovery goals. If you have to bring larger parts of your body back into a full range of motion, it will take longer than rehabbing a singular injury like an ACL tear. 

But even the most decorated and reliable physical therapist can’t answer how long you will need treatment. They can predict based on certain information, but until they see how you respond to the treatment, your recovery time could vary. Plus, there is a certain amount of work the patient needs to do in their own home on their own time; if they can’t hold up their end, it will cost them more time and money in physical therapy sessions. 

Most physical therapy programs last from several weeks to a few months, but certain conditions may require chronic physical therapy treatment or years of rehab. 

Conclusion – Is Physical Therapy Painful?

It shouldn’t be painful, but depending on the severity of your particular injury or condition, your body could respond in different ways. There could be some necessary tough exercises or training involved to get you back to 100 percent. But if your treatment is continuously painful, talk to your physical therapist about potential changes in approach. 

Physical therapy is a non-invasive, safe recovery option for those who have suffered a serious injury as a result of an accident, sporting event, or chronic condition, or are adapting to a new way of life for themselves. It can take from a couple of weeks to up to a year of treatment or more, depending on your situation, predicted recovery time, goals, and more. Your treatment plan will be tailored to your specific needs and will require some homework of your own. 

If you find your treatment plan isn’t working for you, or worse, is causing you pain, your physical therapist can tweak their methods of treating you using a collaborative approach. It’s all an effort to make your body feel, move, and perform better.