How do I make the best of physical therapy?

Question

I have been perscribed (sp?) to physical therapy for a torn meniscus and sprained ACL. I truly want to fix this, but pain in my knees scares me.

Answer 1

Get this into your head, and say it 50 times a day: there is a difference between PAIN and INJURY.

What i mean is, just because something hurts, it does not mean that damage is being done to the tissue. We are conditioned to think that way, but when recovering from injury we often need to learn new ways to think about these things.

If the meniscus is severely torn, you will likely always have some discomfort. You can get used to it, or you can have it surgically corrected. If you don't want surgery, you just plain need to suck it up.

Find a PT that you can work with, who shares your goals. Also, one experienced in orthopedics or sports PT would be a good idea. Go to APTA.org, click on "find a PT", and search your home area.

Good luck!

Answer 2

say to yourself if you dont want to do it you'll have problems the rest of your life.