Physical therapy is so important!

Even though it may take some time to see the results you want, consistent physical therapy (PT) can help improve mobility and maintain independence.

My (current) personal PT story

Since a few weeks after my surgery last June, I’d been going to physical therapy twice a week (with a few exceptions, like during holidays). Though my physical therapists were (and are) consistently positive, I didn’t feel like I was improving at all.

Previous me would have dropped out months ago, and then regretted it, but then had a hard time getting the motivation to re-start again.

This time, I continued to go, week after week.

It helped that my physical therapists – on top of being great at what they do – are fun to be around, are creative (my therapy seems extremely personalized), and post trivia questions (…that I can guess the answer to maybe 60% of the time…), and that the other patients are all friendly and encouraging.

But I still wasn’t seeing any progress…

Until this week! Yes, about 8 long months into this current round of PT, I finally feel like I’m making progress! I can feel muscles that I thought were gone forever, and I am able to do some exercises much easier and with little support!

Yay for perseverance!

the importance of PT

I’m glad I could motivate myself to go so that I could eventually see progress! Now I’m motivated to continue building on that progress and will continue to go twice a week (until my insurance stops paying for it)!

PT has shown to be incredibly important for amputees because it helps us to build strength, flexibility, and endurance in the remaining limb(s) and prevents overcompensating with other parts of the body that can lead to further injury. PT can also help to reduce pain and discomfort associated with amputations and improve overall quality of life.

In addition to the physical benefits, PT can also provide emotional and psychological support as amputees as we adjust to being amputees. PT can help to build confidence and improve self-esteem by setting achievable goals and demonstrating progress (even little by little) over time – which I have found to be 100% the case!

staying encouraged

Over these last 8 months, I had to constantly remind myself that that the progress I was making wasn’t going to be immediately noticeable, and that I should celebrate every every small improvement.

“Good job, Lisa – you walked 3 blocks this week! Last week you could only walk 2!”

“Way to go, Lisa – you walked up those steps with just one hand this time!”

“Lisa – stood up without using your hands! Nicely done!”

It was also helpful for me to work with my family and my physical therapists to set realistic PT goals. Before my surgery, I’d watched a bunch of videos on social media and (unrealistically) thought I’d be up and running (literally) by the end of the year, and I was really bummed when that didn’t turn out to be the case.

Setting goals I could actually accomplish helped me celebrate tiny victories and stay positive when I had mild setbacks or bad days.

find your limb tribe

Finally, remember that you’re not alone in your journey!

Connecting with other amputees through support groups or online communities – you can even join or start one with the Amputee Coalition – can provide a sense of camaraderie and encouragement!

And I’m here – reach out to me any time!