What is the Importance of a Home Exercise Program?
Now that you have completed your initial evaluation, your first step to feeling better, functioning better and living better is complete. Your physical therapist and you have developed a plan of care that will get you back to doing what you need and love to do – pain free. One essential component to maximize your recovery is the personalized home exercise program.
What is the home exercise program?
A home exercise program is a series of exercises prescribed by your physical therapist to be completed at home that increase strength, improve mobility, and contribute to therapeutic gains. These exercises are practical, accessible, and easy to follow.
Homework? But physical therapy is supposed to fix me!
AzOPT physical therapists are always your best OPTion, but consider that you may spend 3 hours per week with your physical therapist out of 112 hours awake (assuming 8 hours of sleep). Your success is a collaborative effort between our therapists and you, and does require a commitment beyond your weekly sessions.
When you attend physical therapy appointments at AzOPT, our physical therapists prefer to spend more one-on-one time using hands-on therapeutic activities and manual therapy. This will help minimize symptoms and maximize treatment. This is not to say you won’t complete stretches and exercise in the clinic as well, but we rely on you to complete some exercises at home. These exercises should not take more than 15 minutes per day.
Your personalized treatment plan
Even for patients with the same condition, the home exercise program will be specific to you. This is because the condition of your body is different and influenced by your individual history. Individual history will dictate the type of exercises – stretches, strength or endurance — and the order. As you gradually recover, your exercises will be increased with tolerance, so that pain does not increase. With this personalized approach, you can enjoy a quicker and easier recovery.
Home exercises also benefit the mind
Injuries and pain often lead to discouragement and fear. Taking ownership in your recovery by diligently performing the home exercise program not only builds strength, but also confidence in your ability to overcome your injury. These small, but significant steps, shorten your road to recovery and reduce fear of reinjury.
Achieve a lasting recovery
Our end goal is for you to graduate and enjoy a lasting recovery. With a home exercise program, this is possible. Because a home exercise program guarantees more regular exercises, the body is healing more naturally. So, it will be stressing less once you regain your ability to move the rest of your body. This will also prevent your injury from recurring, and allow you to return to normal function faster, healthier, and better!
