How Does Your Physical Therapist Assess Your Progress?

You may require physical therapy to help you recover from an injury or medical condition that causes pain or limits your mobility. Your therapist will periodically assess your abilities to determine if your therapy is helping you achieve the goals you set during your first visit. 

Typical physical therapy in Bowie, MD goals may include:

• Pain relief
• Better range of motion
• Better balance
• Greater endurance
• More strength

Your therapists may apply one of the following methods to evaluate your progress during physical therapy.

Ask for Your Feedback

One of the most significant ways your therapist can determine if you are progressing in your therapy is to rate your pain level. Before you start your treatment plan, your therapist will ask you to describe your pain’s intensity by assigning it a number on a predetermined scale. As your therapy progresses, your therapist will periodically ask you to rate your current pain level and compare it to the baseline measurement you provided at your first session.

Take Objective Measurements

Your therapist can evaluate your strength, endurance, and range of motion objectively by using various tests. For example, at the start of therapy for a shoulder injury, you may not have been able to lift your arm higher than your rib cage. If you can raise your arm above your head after several weeks of treatment, your therapist can objectively determine that you are improving without asking you.

Therapists also use various kinds of equipment to measure strength, including isokinetic dynamometers that measure muscle strength in the hips, elbows, shoulders, or knees or hand held dynamometers that a patient can squeeze to indicate grip strength.

Observe You While You Are Performing Dynamic Activities

The ability to perform various activities without pain or compensating for a deficiency in strength, flexibility, or balance are additional signs that a physical therapist will look for when assessing your overall progress. Your therapist may ask you to demonstrate your ability to perform various dynamic activities, including walking, bending, or squatting, which demonstrate the degree to which you can support your body weight and maintain balance while shifting your center of gravity. 

The goals for your therapy are established before it begins. Your therapist will determine the best approach to your treatment based upon an initial assessment. Still, a routine evaluation of your progress is necessary to determine if an adjustment to the initial approach will be beneficial or if you have attained your therapy’s maximum benefit.

Contact our experienced physical therapist  at at Mid Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic for your physical therapy in Bowie, MD, we will evaluate your condition and recommend a treatment plan to help you achieve your goals.