Finding the strength to begin physical therapy after experiencing a broken bone in the leg can be a difficult challenge. Knowing what is necessary to keep a mending bone in the best possible shape for recovery requires a few steps to ensure it heals correctly. Visiting your doctor, developing a relationship with your therapist and peforming your take-home exercises are all practices that must be followed when beginning your therapy regimen for adequate recovery from a broken leg.
Getting Physical Therapy for a Broken Leg
Step 1
Visit a physician who can refer you to a physical therapist who is reputable and effective. Many times finding a quality therapist can make the difference between recovering completely and just getting better. Therapists must complete several years of schooling in order to practice, and most often, your doctor will know which therapists are worth your time and which should be avoided.
Step 2
Develop a relationship with your therapist. To get the most out of your therapy appointments, you will need to develop a working relationship with your therapist. When patients and therapists work together as a team, better results may be obtained. A good working relationship means that the patient and the therapist can make suggestions and comments for the good of the recovery process. If you feel you are working too hard or not enough, you should feel comfortable telling your therapist this information, and the therapist should take this information and work it into the therapy plan.
Step 3
Complete your at-home exercises as prescribed by the therapist. Therapists give patients these exercises to help build up muscle power and increase range of motion. When the therapy can be done at home as well as in the clinic, faster recovery times can be achieved. If you find that the exercises that you are doing at home are too painful, mention this to your therapist. Your physician may be able to prescribe pain medications to lessen your discomfort.
Step 4
Keep your therapy appointments. While you may have things come up that will require you to rescedule your appointments, try to stay on the schedule that has been worked out between you and your therapist. Therapists assign therapy appointments on specific schedules to meet your recovery plan and to comply with insurance regulations. If you must cancel an appointment, notify your therapist immediately and reschedule as soon as possible as to not adversely affect your therapy.
Tips and Warnings
- If you do not have medical insurance, discuss this with your physician. There are some therapy clinics in certain cities that can provide physical therapy at discounted rates, or for free. It may be difficult to locate these facilities, so notifying your physician quickly can speed the process.
- Physical therapy may cause discomfort, but it shouldn't be extremely painful. If you find that the therapy you are receiving is just as painful as the break you experienced, tell your therapist immediately. Your therapy plan may need to be adjusted to compensate for your current level of healing.
