Injuries are not uncommon for athletes. For serious injuries, many doctors recommend physical therapy. It often helps athletes heal faster or increases their strength after surgery. Physical therapy varies widely for the particular patient and the type of injury, but almost all forms include exercises for strength, or, when athletes have progressed a little more, workouts.

According to students who do physical therapy to help heal serious injuries, physical therapy is ultimately a positive experience.

Junior Sarah Dreyfus tore her ACL and meniscus playing catch with friends. She is a dancer, and although her injury has prevented her from dancing, Dreyfus said physical therapy has made her think about prioritizing her recovery.

“I haven’t skipped physical therapy in a long time,” Dreyfus said. “When I do it’s always a big thing, because this is really helping me get better. The work you put in is so crazy, what it amounts to.”

Cheer member sophomore Rachel Stephens, who tore a ligament in her knee during the preseason, said her doctor strongly recommended physical therapy for her.

“[I was told] ‘it will be really helpful; there’s no point in not doing physical therapy because it’s only in your benefit,’” Stephens said.

Sophomore Evelyn Gilbert, who plays soccer, has gone to physical therapy for a torn ACL, which she suffered in September. She said that being around people in the field of medicine more often, including physical therapists, has made her consider medicine as a career.

“I’ve gotten a lot of bone-related injuries or growth plates,” Gilbert said. “So it made me want to go into maybe orthopedic medicine.”

Senior Alicia Landry is an avid basketball player. She has been doing physical therapy since she was 12 for various injuries, and now she does it as a preventative measure. She said she has come to resent it because of the large time commitment, but that in the long run, it has made her stronger both physically and mentally.

At a typical physical therapy appointment, most patients are first assessed on progress. Landry said that she does exercises that might seem easy to a healthy person but are difficult for someone who is injured. Stephens said that after her initial diagnosis, she usually did many exercises, including squats, lunges and bike riding.

“I think it really helped me bounce back sooner than how long they thought it would take me to get better,” Stephens said.

Dreyfus said doing physical therapy has taught her about the importance of communication in her recovery.

“The people know what they’re doing really well, but I also pick up really quickly what I need to do,” Dreyfus said. “They sometimes talk slowly and I’m like, ‘Okay, I understand what you’re saying. Just talk.’ It has taught me a lot about recovery both physically and communicating. Especially in a medication world, it’s important.”

In addition to chronic tendinitis, junior Ariel Cohen tore part of his shoulder last year in an overuse injury from swimming. By doing a lot of physical therapy, which was recommended by his doctors, coaches and parents, Cohen has managed to keep swimming throughout the year.

“Physical therapy itself is really good,” Cohen said. “The only negative aspect of it is just how long the process is. I can see myself improving and my condition improving a little bit and that’s really positive to see.”