Why don’t I feel stronger yet?
Many patients get discouraged when starting their physical therapy or getting back into working out at the gym because they don’t feel stronger or get the results they are looking for within a few weeks. Although we live in an instant gratification society these days, reality is that it takes several weeks of hard work to start seeing improvements in muscle function or tone and then you have to keep up that activity for the long term to keep that improvement. Simply put, the body cannot be rushed — it takes time.
Research studies show that it takes 6-8 weeks of consistent strength training to start generating bigger or new muscle cells. Any “gains” that you see before that point isn’t happenning in your muscles, but instead in between your brain and nerves that tell your muscles to move and adapt. We call this proprioception. That’s why in most patient’s physical therapy prescriptions, we start the patient with simple balance and pelvic tilting exercises. We want to improve proprioception since we know it will take 6-8 weeks to get any new strength out of the muscles.
Like anything in life, it takes hard work and dedication to get good results. The patients that are consistent and follow through on their treatment plans see great results. You just need a little patience to get to your goals!