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OrthoRehab - Edina Physical Therapists

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We love working with our patients in the clinic to help them become stronger and more capable, but we understand that it’s not feasible or cost effective to come to the clinic for treatment every single day. That’s why we typically provide our patients with some exercises or a specific physical therapy routine they can perform on their own from the comfort of their home. These home-based exercises help to continue your progress between in-person sessions with a PT, but as you can imagine, home-based PT exercises come with their own set of unique challenges.

To help you overcome these potential issues and make it easier for you to continue your progress when you’re not with a physical therapist, we decided to put together some keys to success when it comes to following through with a home-based PT program. Below, we share some tips so that you can keep your progress on track with the help of your home-based therapy exercises.

Developing A Home-Based PT Program

If you want to continue your progress and perform some high quality PT exercises from the comfort of your home between in-clinic sessions, here’s our advice:

  1. Carve Out Time– One thing that’s nice about home-based physical therapy exercises compared to an appointment at a clinic is that you have plenty of flexibility when it comes to when you’ll perform your exercises. You can perform them in the morning, at night or on your lunch break if you please. However, we’ve found that when patients assume that they’ll end up finding time throughout the day to do their exercises that they don’t always follow through when the opportunity arises. Instead of assuming you’ll find time to do your exercises, carve out 15-20 minutes at a specific time. Wake up a little earlier or do your exercises when you’re watching the news at night, but have a plan for exactly when you’ll do your exercises, as this will make it more likely that you’ll follow through. For best results, keep this time consistent every day.
  2. Dedicate A Space – Many clients also find it helpful to dedicate a specific space to perform their exercises. This again helps the process to become more routine and allows you to get in the right mindset for their exercises. Head to a spare room or find some space in your living room and do your PT-recommended exercises.
  3. Ask Questions In Clinic– One issue that some people run into with their home-based exercise routine is whether or not they are performing the movements correctly, and since there’s no therapist nearby to adjust your form or explain how the exercise should be done, it can be difficult to get the most out of your home-based routine. Before you leave the clinic, make sure you understand what exercises you’re being asked to perform at home and ask for clarification if you want more information about any specific exercise. We’re more than happy to explain why we’re recommending certain exercises or offer insight into how each exercise should be performed.
  4. Stick To It– Finally, while it may sound obvious, one of our most important pieces of advice is to simply push yourself to stick to your routine. Doing your exercises won’t be the most fun thing you’ll do each day, but it will be the most important part of your rehabilitation that day. You only get one body, so don’t settle when it comes to your recovery after an injury or surgery. When it comes to physical therapy, you get out what you put in, so do your exercises and make the strongest recovery possible. Skipping your home-based exercises only hurts yourself, and it can delay your progression when it comes to your in-clinic sessions. We promise that if you stick to it and follow through with your home-based routine that it will be worth it in the end. Push yourself to complete your exercises, even if you’d rather be doing anything else.

In-clinic PT sessions can kickstart your recovery, but it will be what you do on your own with your home-based exercises that really drives your recovery home, so make it a regular habit and push yourself to keep making progress between sessions. As always, for more information about anything in the above blog, or for assistance with a different physical issue, reach out to the team at OrthoRehab Specialists today at (612) 339-2041.

 

Dr. Andy Masis, PT
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