Physical Therapy - Goal setting
Football season, a great display of goal setting.
Every down played is a goal to gain yardage, to get a first down, to...score a touchdown.
My son decided he wanted a mouth piece that had mean looking animal teeth on it. He wanted it to help him with his animal instinct on the football field. So I told him to set a goal. What could he accomplish that the reward would be the desired mouth piece? He set the goal that he would come in first place in the run they do twice a day at practice.
Now, he is pretty fast but there are a couple of kids that are more seasoned and faster than him...so he thought. It took him a few weeks but he worked until he reached his goal. He came in first and earned his new mouth piece.
He has now decided he wants some new high tech pads that protect his back or at least look really cool! So he set a goal BY HIMSELF to make 3 tackles in a single game before he can get the new gear. He has seen the value and joy that came from setting, stretching to reach and accomplishing his goals.
I tell you this little story because physical therapy is much like this. A physical therapist that is worth his or her salt will get the patient involved in goal setting. It greatly effects the progress and outcomes of the therapy.
When you get started you need to focus on what you would like the outcome to be with the guidance of your therapist. Physical therapists are expected to be able to establish realistic and achievable goals to guide their management of patients. To assist in setting appropriate goals, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) recommends that physical therapists identify the goals and objectives that the patient wants to achieve from the treatment. This recommendation calls for physical therapists to encourage active participation from their patients (and families), as appropriate, during the goal-setting process. Ideally, this collaboration starts at the initial examination.
As you see yourself reaching OR EXCEEDING (which is very common with patients who take this goal setting stuff seriously) your goals, you will get more excited about reaching the next goal. This will create a wonderfull momentum in your physical therapy program that will astound you. You will see how fast you are able to move through the entire process.
As you practice this in your therapy, you will see that it really is effective in every area of life. You truly can accomplish your hearts desires.
Go ahead...give it a shot!