Physical Therapy | 17 Oct 2025
Most of us decide to come to Physical Therapy because of pain, injury, or a surgery. All we can think about is feeling better and how we can get out of this state quickly. This matters because we are stopped from doing the things we love and it becomes a constant thought in our minds. But, once we do feel better we start to get caught up in life and not make Physical Therapy a priority, even though this may have been the primary reason we improved.
So, should you keep going to Physical Therapy after your pain has resolved…YES, and here is why:
1.Pain is only one factor in recovery: Pain is a complex experience and it is what is the loudest and at the forefront of our thoughts when we are going through it. When it does start to feel better we assume the underlying injury itself has also resolved. But if we understand the true timeline of tissue healing we understand it goes beyond just “symptom free” and 6-8 weeks is the minimum for tissues to heal, given everything is healing correctly. This is just the start of getting back to your normal life. Pain resolving is a sign that things are headed in the right direction and it is the green light to progressively test and perform the more advanced activities and goals you may have in mind over the next several months/year.
2.Getting back to advanced activities: You want to safely be able to perform things like your work duties, running in that race, weightlifting competition, sports, lifting your child, or moving houses. Whatever the specific activity requires you don’t just jump back into it cold-turkey. Your Physical Therapist understands over-time how to safely progress you into these and monitor for any changes in your pain or physical abilities because it is very possible for pain to return if you are not smart about how you transition back.
3.Prevent re-injury and regain full strength and function: There is a reason you had to come into Physical Therapy to begin with and we hope you learned a lot about how to better take care of yourself during the process. Staying in Physical Therapy helps to keep you mobile, strong, and check-in with your clinician about keeping your body at the best it can be to prevent the same injury from occurring again.
4. Building better habits for life: Think about Physical Therapy like other clinical visits you make throughout the year. You go to your dentist for regular cleanings, you may go to your chiropractor for weekly or monthly “tuneups”, you get your annual physical from your primary care physician. So why would your Physical Therapy be any different? PTs are valuable providers that understand the biggest functioning system that keeps you moving: your musculoskeletal system. As we return from injury we want to do everything in our abilities to stay injury free and continue to age with healthy habits for a great quality of life.
5.Keeps you motivated and accountable: Having regular visits or even monthly check-ins with your Physical Therapist is a key method to help keep you accountable and make sure you are performing your goals as you need to efficiently and successfully.
We do understand that adding additional visits to your weekly routine may seem overwhelming at times, but we see it as an investment in your health for life. We want you to be the best you can be and understand WHY dropping off the schedule just when the pain gets better may not offer you the most benefit when it comes to your own care.