I’m going to my grandson’s clinic for a knee problem I’ve been having. My grandson is a sports rehab physical therapist. Each time I go in to the clinic, they give me a form to fill out with questions that don’t seem to apply to me. Should I just try to fill it out the best I can? Or should I say something to my grandson? He’s not the therapist who is actually treating me.

Many clinics rely on questionnaires to help the patient and the therapist see the progress they are making. With the right kind of questions, improvement or the lack of progress can be seen quickly.

This helps move the patient along in the rehab process toward an earlier discharge whenever possible. It also helps point out problems or a need to change the direction or focus of treatment.

It can be time consuming and difficult to use a different survey for each patient. Some clinics try to adopt a standard tool that can be used with the majority of their patient base. In a sports rehab specialty clinic the questions are understandably not all appropriate for an older adult.

For example, questions about pivoting or side stepping while running may not apply at all. And questions about difficulty getting in and out of bed or up and down off the toilet may not be on the list but really much closer to where you’re at right now.

It probably won’t hurt anything to ask a few questions. This may help the clinic administrator take a closer look at the assessment tools they are using. And it might prove useful in making sure you are making the progress expected for your particular situation.