The vast majority of clients who seek out physical therapy after an injury or surgery will be asked to perform exercises at a clinic and from the comfort of their home. It’s easy to perform your exercises when you have a professional a few feet away guiding you through the movements, but many people find it difficult to follow through on their home-based exercises when they are on their own. In today’s blog, we share some tips for following through with your home-based PT exercises.
Sticking With Your Home PT Exercises
Your physical therapist can’t be with you every day, so you are going to need to take some ownership over your situation and follow through with your home-based exercises if you want to get the best results during your recovery. We understand that there are a number of obstacles to consistently following through with your home PT program, but we want to help you find ways to overcome these challenges. Here’s some advice from our PT team.
- Create A Routine – It’s easier to follow through with your exercise program if you begin to develop a regular routine. Wake up 30 minutes earlier than normal, or always do your exercises after dinner. If you simply expect to do your exercises whenever they fit into your day, odds are other activities are going to end up taking priority over your rehab.
- Review Instructions – Some people are reluctant to perform their PT exercises on their own because they do not know if they are doing them correctly without being in the presence of a physical therapist. If you’re not feeling confident in your form, review the handouts that your provider gave to you or look up some examples on Youtube. Better yet, ask your physical therapist to use your phone to record video of you performing exercises in the clinic so that you can review them if you ever want a refresher on how to do the exercises correctly.
- Remember Your Why – Take a few moments each day to remember your “why.” Why are you hoping to make the strongest recovery? Are you hoping to rejoin your teammates as soon as possible? Do you want to be as active as possible during retirement? Do you simply want less pain each day? When you remind yourself of what’s at stake and what you’re working towards, it’s easier to find the motivation to finish your exercises each day.
- Lean On Your PT – If you’re struggling with any aspect of your home-based exercises, lean on your physical therapist for guidance. We understand the common roadblocks and know how to find ways to motivate clients every single day. We’re confident that we can help boost your motivation or give you the tools to overcome any challenges to performing your home PT exercises. Let us be a resource for you throughout your recovery journey.
- Celebrate Your Hard Work – Finally, don’t forget to stop and celebrate your success along the way. Sticking with a rehab program is not easy, so don’t get frustrated because you haven’t achieved your long-term goals in a week or two. Celebrate your progress and acknowledge how far you’ve come, even if you’re still working towards larger goals. Recognizing your progress can help keep you motivated to continue pursuing PT at home.
If you want to get set up with a PT routine for whatever physical issues you’re facing, pick up the phone and call the team at OrthoRehab Specialists today at (612) 339-2041.