What to Expect at Your First Appointment
Welcome to Anderson Physical Therapy! We’re glad you’re here. Our team of experienced therapists are looking forward to meeting you. If you’re feeling a little nervous about your first treatment session, don’t worry, that is completely normal! We will do everything we can to help calm your nerves. Let’s start by discussing what to expect.
Once you have made your initial appointment, there will be paperwork to fill out (yuck, we know, but it IS necessary). If you would like additional time to complete your paperwork (maybe you’re suffering from headaches and can’t do it all at once), you can stop by the office and pick up your paperwork to bring back with you for your first appointment. If you would rather do your paperwork the day of the appointment, just be sure to arrive at least 15 minutes early to give yourself enough time to complete it.
One of our awesome physical therapy aides will call you back and show you to a treatment room. There, a Physical Therapist will meet you and evaluate your condition through special tests and questions. Don’t worry, we won’t ask you to do anything crazy, but expect to be asked to move around and explain how your injury occurred. The Therapist will determine a plan of care and document your starting point, so we can measure your progress over time.
What happens next truly depends on your injury, how you’re feeling that day, and what the evaluation revealed. You might go through some therapeutic exercises and stretches and be taught some to do at home. Perhaps you will be hooked up to the electrical stimulation machine which increases blood flow to the tissues and helps alleviate pain symptoms. On the other hand, the therapist may deem manual therapy appropriate (though it may just feel like a massage, it is actually specific techniques used on specific muscle groups to decrease tissue tension, texture, and tone).
After your treatment session, the Therapist will let you know how often you should be coming in for physical therapy. You will schedule your future appointments at that time. If you’re a planner, you can schedule many weeks in advance. If you prefer to schedule one week at a time, that is ok too!
We hope that you have an enjoyable experience at Anderson Physical Therapy. If you need any additional information or support along the way, just let us know!
We are here to help you live your life, better!