Joel

How long did you wait before getting physical therapy?
Basically the day after I got the injury, I came straight here. I know for my football career I need to be as healthy as I can.

How bad was your hamstring injury before coming in to the clinic?
It was pretty bad. I had intense pain and I was unable to move. I felt like I just needed to get somewhere to relieve my pain and tension.

What was your hamstring injury preventing you from doing?
My football career in general and also the other sports I do. It’s really hard to be injured and just sitting on the sidelines watching people play and you know you could be having that fun but you have an injury that you have to manage.

Did you try anything else before physical therapy?
Just waiting it out and waiting for the pain to go away. That doesn’t work though. You have to get up and actually do something.

Did you have an understanding of how physical therapy could help you before coming to see us?
I knew that it would help strengthen the muscle and actually tend to the area that’s hurting. It wouldn’t just be “oh you need to take this medication”. You actually have to go and do something to make it better.

What would you say to anyone who was in pain but hesitant on getting physical therapy?
The struggle may be a little hard some times but the best thing that you can do is just get into it and start doing it. There’s nothing wrong with a little but of pain and falling down some times because when you fall down, you get right back up.

What did you enjoy the most about coming to Preferred Physical Therapy?
Being able to learn exercises that will help to keep me safe and being able to expand my knowledge about my injury. It’s very nice to walk in and be welcomed and not just come in and be like “oh hey you’re just another patient”. It was really nice to have a community where you can talk to people and interact with others.

What would you say to anyone who was skeptical about physical therapy?
You can remove something as an option until you’ve tried it. So I’d say come in and try it, and if it doesn’t work for you then consider other options. I believe that it’s the best thing you can do.

What was your goal and did we help you to achieve it?
I’d say getting back to my football career because that’s really important to me and I have definitely achieved getting back there and playing the first two games of the season.