How long until I “Feel Better”?
“Feeling better” is very specific to your diagnosis and your goals. For example, the plan for the same knee ligament injury will be very different between a runner who is training for a marathon, a weekend athlete, or someone who is working in construction. The diagnoses may be the same, but what really we need to determine is each individual’s prognosis – the intended outcome and how long it will take.
Physiotherapists and chiropractors often use the baseline or initial assessment to determine the proper diagnosis, but the importance of the extra time in our assessments is for an in depth history and testing to get to know you, and determine your prognosis. For some people, they can move through pain, and may be able to progress faster. For others, pain can be very limiting, and may need to slow down. The degree of pain does not determine the degree of the injury. Neither does the lack of movement.
So, asking “how long does it take to feel better” is a question we get asked often, but it’s not as simple as an answer.
“Feeling better” or pain relief is also not always the end goal. You need to regain your movements. regain your strength, improve your tolerance and avoid injury and pain in the future. That is the concept of “Moving better.”
Having regular touch points, relearning movement patterns and improving your performance is the next step. That is what we call “Living better.”
Here’s an example of your physiotherapy ‘journey’:
At the initial assessment, your physiotherapist will better assess your condition and discuss your goals. Based on that, you will be provided with a written or emailed plan of care, outlining your condition, your goals, and how many sessions over how many weeks.
We align the Foundation Model with science-backed rehabilitation phases: MOVE BETTER (Inflammatory Phase), FEEL BETTER (Proliferation Phase) and LIVE BETTER (Remodelling Phase).
The Move Better (Inflammatory) phase usually takes 1-4 weeks. This is when symptoms and inflammation is resolving, pain is no longer limiting, and you start to regain movement for day to day tasks. Appointments during this phase are more frequent: at a minimum once a week. In acute, high pain or post-operative scenarios, the first two weeks may require two sessions a week. The goal to managing pain is to reduce fear of movement and re-introduce safe movement back into your routine.
The Feel Better (Proliferation) phase goes from weeks 4-8. This is when we introduce higher loads and repetitive tasks to ensure that symptoms stay away. This is also when we can monitor your progress as you return to higher impact activities such as sports and working out. You will feel better, physically and mentally, as you are closer to your goals. Appointments during this phase are more spaced out: minimum once every two weeks or once a week, if progressing quickly. It is encouraged to keep contact and provide updates with your provider between appointments.
The Live Better (Remodelling) phase goes from weeks 8 to 12…..to month 12! This is when we start to build a functional and holistic exercise program into your lifestyle, typically revolving around strength/resistance training. You typically check in once a month or every six weeks as an accountability measure. This is also a great opportunity to catch up, provide updates and progress!
That brings us to the final stage of our model – The FUELED phase, where you are in control of your health. You are strong, confident and move with intention. You are listening to your body and although symptoms may arise, you have the tools to understand and manage them.
Physiotherapy is more than ‘treatment.’ The secret to success in physiotherapy is making it a part of your life. A commitment to feeling, moving and living better.
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