What to expect at your first PT appointment
If you’ve never been to PT before…
Going to a new doctor can be really intimidating. You don’t know where you’re going, or if you’re going to like them, or if they’ll even be able to help you. It’s easy to get caught up in what you need to say, and a lot of healthcare providers have you in and out so quickly that you forgot things that were important to you. At Venture Physical Therapy, we’re aiming to change the patient experience in order to help you meet your goals and get you back to doing the things you love!
How long will my appointment be?
For your first appointment, we schedule an hour block to make sure we have time to get a full history about what’s been going on and do a full assessment of some movement patterns that may be painful and the surrounding muscles and joints that may be contributing to that. We want to make sure that we have enough time to talk to you about what we think is going on, and answer any questions you may have.
What should I wear?
Comfortable clothes and athletic shoes! Venture Physical Therapy is located in a gym, and we may use some of the space and equipment depending on your goals and medical history. You’ll be moving around, so wear something you feel comfortable bending, squatting, and moving in! You may also want to bring water with you, especially during the summer because it can get hot!
Who will I be working with?
You’ll meet with our Doctor of Physical Therapy, Stephanie Brunner, the owner of Venture Physical Therapy! Together, you’ll discuss what’s going on, what your goals for therapy are, and to come up with a plan to get you back to doing the things that you love! You can read more about Dr. Steph on our ‘About Us’ page!
What kind of questions will you ask?
We’ll ask you to give us a little background about what it is that is bringing you into the clinic. Injury prevention? History of back pain? Limited mobility with certain movements? We want to know what’s bothering you enough to take this important step towards getting better. We will follow up with questions about how long it has been bothering you, how an injury occured, what kind of pain you’re having and how intense it is, if anything makes it feel better or worse, etc.! We want to get a full idea of what is important to you and what your goals for therapy are, so feel free to tell us anything that feels important to you! We’ll ask questions to figure out the rest!
What happens after the session?
We will talk with you to figure out a plan that works for your budget and schedule in order to get you back to doing the things you love! More than likely we will give you exercises to work on in between sessions to help you meet your goals faster! You’ll always hear me ask how long you’re willing to spend doing exercises ~ 5 days/week, it’s not a trick question! I just want to know what will fit into your schedule without feeling like an added chore - we all know that life is too busy to add anything in!
Any other questions about physical therapy?
Send me an email at stephanie@venturedpt.com or schedule an appointment today!
