It might seem like good news, right? Often, your discharge from physical therapy is not an indicator that the healing process is complete. You will likely need to continue the healing process further by workiing with other practitioners. Making the right decisions at theis stage will be the difference between getting back in top shape, and potentially making matters worse.
1. Get a detailed diagnosis from your physician or therapist. Make sure you understand the injury and its current condition well enough to explain it to another practitioner, like your personal trainer or physician.
2. Spend some time researching the various alternatives to treating your condition. What about chiropractic care, podiatry or personal training?
3. Meet with your preferred practitioner and gain an understanding of how he or she may helpful to you. If you don’t understand what they’ve explained or you sense an unwillingness to help you understand, move on!
4. Check their qualifications. Do they have experience with your condition? Can they offer testimonials or references from clients?
5. Does your personality mesh with theirs? No matter how qualified the practitioner, if there is personality friction, the process will be arduous for both of you.
Before beginning, make sure you both understand the goal and have a plan to get there. The best practitioners will ask lots of questions to make sure that they design a plan that suits your particular needs. Watch out for those that do more talking than listening in the initial meeting! Explore their willingness to be part of your team. Would they be willing to communicate with your other fitness and health practitioners to make sure you have an allied team? Make sure everyone is working for the same goal: YOUR well-being!
Dianne D. Ulmer, CPT, MES, MATs, owner of Muscle Integrity has been a leader in the fitness industry for over a decade. Her functional and biomechanical understanding of the body is translated into effective performance enhancing, injury preventing and rehabilitative applications. Dianne specializes in corrective exercise and post-rehab programming. Dianne is certified by American College of Sports Medicine, American Academy of Health, Fitness and Rehabilitation and Muscle Activation Techniques. To learn how Muscle Integrity can help you achieve your fitness goals, set up your free consult at http://muscle-integrity.com