Lots of good stuff here, along with some other posts above. I'm stuck in a waiting room so here's my chuckling hot take to the whining displayed by some:
OP sounds like a classic grumpy, cheap, I-know-best letrsunner. love it. Never ceases to fail here. He sounds like he has one or all of the following going on: didn't seek out a good PT, doesn't understand the reality and breadth of modern PT, has a minor injury with a basic treatment plan, and/or has poor insurance and is butthurt cash paying for basic treatment.
Couple thoughts:
1) A PT won't always waive a magic wand and fix your injury. Yes, often the treatment plan is relatively common exercises, with repetition, that you could find on Youtube/Reddit. But! a PT (especially a good PT) will keep you on your treatment plan, doing your exercises and actually getting better. Sure, many people can google their own what-if exercises, but a vast majority (like Old Big East said and I experience constantly) would not then follow through on committing to a self-directed treatment plan.
2) Find a good PT. Search, ask around, call the top ortho doctors in your city/region, get referrals from people who know. With that or with the best you can get: go to a PT who will see you 1:1 for a minimum of 20min per visit, but ideally 30-60min. My partner (PT) sees patients 1:1 for 30min and then they do exercises/stem/ice/etc for 15-30min after. My partner also sees patients privately for $200-350/hr for in-person 60min sessions.
3) find a PT with certs beyond just their PT degree: PT Specialist certs, trainers license, dry needling, etc. Sure, all PT's do continuing ed, but I think it benefits an active/motivated patient greatly to work with someone who has broader knowledge, interests and expertise. And someone who is actively working to broaden their skill set to adapt to patient needs.
4) PT is a profession backed by science. Sure, it's not always a gate-kept situation like surgery, pharmacy or orthodontics where only the provider has access/training/knowledge to provide a solution, but there's still a ton of science backing a therapists approach to a treatment plan. It seems like this kind of thread pops up yearly, where a whiny/cheap/sanctimonious runner complains about PT. Often they have a minor overuse injury of their own doing, for their own lack of strength and prep, and somehow it's a PT's fault that the solution is basic things. Sometimes that's the solution, but some PT's are seeing 8 ACL's, three hips, a broken pelvis and two shoulders a week and getting those people able to use their limbs again. There's science to back that up, good ones know it and the best have the respect and support of their corresponding Ortho's.
Aside: PT is a good job but heavily underpaid for how the profession has grown and the cost of PT school now. I think it's great that DPT is the standard now, but pay needs to double to reflect it's role in modern society. Insurance company take stupid money from the general public for PT and therapists are still very underleveraged to get their due.