What to Wear and Bring to Physical Therapy: Tips from Beaverton Experts
Physical therapy is an essential step toward healing, improving mobility, and restoring function, whether you’re recovering from an injury, managing pain, or seeking to improve athletic performance. To ensure that your first visit goes smoothly and you get the most out of it, preparation is key.
At Headquarters PT in Beaverton, we want to make your visit as comfortable and effective as possible. Knowing what to wear, what to bring, and how to mentally prepare can help you feel confident and ready to take the first step in your recovery journey. A little preparation goes a long way in ensuring that your sessions are focused on progress and not on logistics.
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In this blog, we’ll share expert tips on how to prepare for your physical therapy visit so that you’re fully equipped to make the most of your treatment.
Welcome to HQPT video
What to Wear to PHYSICAL Therapy: Gear Up for Success
When prepping for your performance therapy session at our clinic, think of it like suiting up for game day. The right gear doesn't just make you comfortable—it empowers us to accurately assess your movement patterns and design your comeback strategy. Here's your equipment checklist:
Performance Attire Essentials
For lower body assessment: Rock athletic shorts or streamlined training pants. This gives your performance therapist clear visibility of your hip, knee, and ankle mechanics—crucial for identifying power leaks in your kinetic chain.
For upper body work: Choose a breathable, flexible shirt that allows full range of motion. We need to see those shoulder blades move and analyze your thoracic mobility without restrictions.
For comprehensive movement screening: Sport your regular training gear—compression shorts, athletic leggings, or training shorts paired with a performance tee. The closer to your typical training outfit, the better we can assess your functional movement patterns.
Footwear That Performs
Lace up your regular training shoes! The wear patterns tell us volumes about your biomechanics. Skip the casual footwear—we need your feet in the same environment they perform in during competition or training.
Ditch the Restrictions
Leave the stiff jeans and restrictive clothing at home. We need to see how your body actually moves, not how it moves when constrained by everyday clothes. Freedom of movement equals quality assessment.
What to Bring to Your First Performance PHYSICAL Therapy Session: Day One of Your Comeback
Your first session isn't just an appointment—it's the starting line of your return to peak performance. Come prepared to crush it from minute one:
1. Performance History Documentation
Bring any athletic medical documentation you have: injury reports, diagnostic imaging, previous treatment notes, and surgical records. This is your performance profile—it helps us understand your body's history so we can map your future more effectively.
2. Direct Payment Information
As a premium cash-based performance clinic, we've eliminated the insurance middleman to focus entirely on your results. Bring your preferred payment method (credit card, HSA/FSA card, or digital payment app) so we can streamline the admin and maximize your hands-on treatment time.
3. Training Supplements & Recovery Tools
If you're currently using specific supplements, mobility tools, or recovery devices, let us know! Bring a list or even the actual products. We'll integrate these into your comprehensive performance plan rather than working against your current routine.
4. Training Log & Pain Journal
Athletes who track data win. Period. Bring your training log showing recent workouts, intensities, and volumes, plus notes on when symptoms appear during specific movements or training phases. This intel is gold for creating your targeted comeback strategy.
5. Performance Goals & Competition Schedule
Unlike traditional PT, we're building toward performance targets, not just pain reduction. Bring your competition schedule, upcoming events, or performance benchmarks you're aiming for. Day one is goal-setting day—we're mapping your entire performance journey back to excellence.
READY TO ELEVATE YOUR GAME?
At HQPT, we don't just treat injuries—we engineer comebacks. Our performance physical therapists are elite-level movement coaches who understand the difference between functioning and performing.
From day one, we'll establish clear performance metrics, baseline your movement quality, and build a progressive plan that gets you back to crushing your goals—often performing better than before your injury.
Skip the traditional and experience the difference of working directly with performance specialists who speak your language—whether you're a weekend warrior, competitive athlete, or fitness enthusiast committed to moving better.
Book your initial performance assessment today. Your comeback story starts here.