Physical therapy can be a great way to help you overcome an injury or recover after a surgery because you are training under the guidance of a professional. Many people feel like they make great strides during these sessions, but what about the time between visits? What can you do to keep your progress moving in the right direction until you can come back in for another session? Below, we take a closer look at some of the things we want you to do between in-house physical therapy sessions.
Continuing Your Progress Between PT Sessions
Your physical therapist will likely provide you with some individualized advice as to what they want you to do between sessions, but don’t be surprised if a number of these items end up on your to-do list.
- Home-Based Exercises – Odds are your physical therapist is going to send you home with a bit of homework in the form of exercises they’ll want you to complete on your own. These home-based exercises will help to continue strengthening key structures and joints so that your progress doesn’t stall because you aren’t physically testing your body. If you have any questions about performing these exercises, ask your physical therapist before you leave the office, or give them a call! We’re more than happy to answer any questions you might have.
- Hydrate – Staying hydrated will help to ensure that blood can circulate in a healthy manner and bring key nutrients and oxygen to structures that need them as part of the recovery process. Always have a water bottle nearby when you’re working to overcome an injury. Oftentimes a good target to aim for is to take your body weight, cut it in half and strive to drink that many ounces each day.
- Stay Active – It’s also important that you stay active between sessions. We don’t want you staying sedentary between sessions because muscles will atrophy and your joints will start to lose the progress you’ve made. You also don’t want to pursue overly strenuous activities and suffer a setback, but walking, swimming and yoga are great low-impact activities to pursue between sessions.
- Eat Right – It’s also very helpful to be mindful of what you’re putting in your body between sessions. Similar to the point about hydration, your body is in a weakened state and needs all the healthy vitamins and nutrients it can get to aid in the tissue repair process. Make sure you’re eating a range of foods that contain a number of key vitamins and nutrients. Healthy eating can also prevent weight gain, which can put more stress on your body when it’s trying to recover from an injury or surgery.
- Set Goals – Finally, many people find it helpful to set some goals that they can strive to achieve between sessions or on a long-term basis. Goal setting can keep you motivated to continue to make the right choices for your health. What do you hope to accomplish through physical therapy? Set some goals and remind yourself of them every day so that it’s easier to find the motivation to continue to work between sessions.
For more information, or for assistance starting or continuing a PT program, reach out to the team at OrthoRehab Specialists today at (612) 339-2041.