The Mental Side of Physical Therapy
10/1/2025
Hi there!
Welcome to Reform's Newsletter, where we discuss hot topics in the physical therapy world, exercise tips, client wins, and upcoming events! This week, we will be discussing the mental side of physical therapy.
October 10 is World Mental Health Day, and as a physical therapist, I’ve come to fully appreciate how much the “therapist” in my title truly matters. Yes, we help people move, recover, and feel stronger, but what many don’t realize is how much your mindset and emotions affect your physical healing.
My Early Lessons in PT School
Back in PT school, I took a class called “Psychosocial Skills.” At the time, I thought of it as just one of those required classes that would be pretty easy for me to breeze through compared to the much more dense musculoskeletal and neurological classes, but it turned out to be one of the most valuable and applicable courses I had. The class was designed to prepare us to communicate professionally and empathetically with patients who might be going through some of the hardest moments of their lives.
As physical therapists, we often spend more time with patients than many other healthcare providers, usually one to three hours each week. That means we aren’t just treating pain - we’re listening to people share about chronic conditions, life-changing injuries, and sometimes even personal struggles outside of the clinic. I quickly realized during my first clinical rotation how important those communication skills were, because mindset and emotional health are so closely tied to physical recovery.
What the Research Says
A recent study published in March 2024 by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) looked at more than half a million physical therapy episodes of low back pain. The study found that psychosocial factors like fear of movement, catastrophizing, and low recovery expectations strongly predict outcomes.
In fact, patients who entered PT with negative thoughts and low expectations had significantly worse improvement by discharge. On the other hand, those who came in motivated and mentally ready to engage in rehab were far more likely to see meaningful progress.
This reinforces what I see every day in the clinic: your mindset isn’t just “nice to have," it’s one of the biggest drivers of your recovery.
Motivation and Mindset Matter, Especially in PT!
I’m not a licensed mental health therapist, but physical therapists spend a lot of time learning about the brain, how pain is processed, and how people respond to it. Working with patients in pain every day has also taught me just how much your mindset can influence healing and how strongly your brain shapes the way pain is experienced.
I’ve seen it again and again: patients who stay motivated and believe in the process make progress. Those who feel defeated, stressed, or overwhelmed tend to struggle more. That doesn’t mean recovery is easy, because it most definitely isn't! But, it does mean your mindset can directly impact your outcome.
Healing isn’t just about your muscle/joint/tendon feeling better, it’s also about how you think, how you cope, and how you approach the process.
What This Means for You
When you come into PT with a hopeful and positive mindset, you’re giving your brain and body the best chance to heal. When fear or frustration take over, progress can slow. By caring for both your body and your mindset, you set yourself up for the best possible recovery!
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Thank you so much for following along, and stay tuned for what's to come next month! Feel free to share with family and friends who may be interested and reply back with any questions!
Talk to you soon,
- Dr. Dana LaPeze