Home Exercise May Be the Most Important Part of Physical Therapy

If you’ve experienced an injury or are suffering from a medical condition, you know the vital importance of physical therapy. Prescribed movement can be therapeutic for patients, and maintaining an active lifestyle is so critical to overall wellness. This doesn’t only involve going to physical therapy appointments, but also following through in your day-to-day life.

The reality is that home exercise in Napa County, CA is also a key component of gaining the benefits from any physical therapy program. Just going a couple times a week isn’t enough to make lasting changes—you need to incorporate productive movement into your everyday life. Read on to find out how to improve your home exercise regimen:

• Movement medicine: Many experts estimate that adhering to home exercise programs account for up to 50 percent of a patient’s success in a physical therapy program. Working with a professional to develop a program designed to resolve your particular ailments is a smart idea. For example, if you’re experiencing back pain, the home exercise program can be tailored to strengthen those muscle groups and relieve pain. The frequency, duration and number of reps will also be part of the regimen.
• Staying motivated: Just because you have a prescribed program doesn’t mean it has to be stale or boring. The home exercise program will evolve as your symptoms change and strength improves. Every couple of weeks, you can mix up the exercises to stay motivated and keep progress moving steadily forward. You can also adjust the program if it’s moving too quickly for you.
• Benefits: There are numerous reasons why physicians highly recommend home exercise programs. This includes improving muscle memory, which will be helpful during sessions with the physical therapist. Patients who commit to these programs are also more successful at achieving their rehabilitation goals and regaining physical function faster. They also are more likely to reduce pain more quickly and avoid recurring injuries.
• Bucking the trend: Unfortunately, a minority of patients actually follow through on their exercise programs at home. Common reasons include schedule difficulties and lack of motivation. If this is the case for you, it’s important to talk with your physical therapist about how to stay on track. They’re here to help you achieve your wellness goals and can do things like check in more frequently or break the program up into more manageable chunks.

When you’re in need of physical therapy in Napa County, CA, the best place to turn to is Focus Forward Wellness & Physical Therapy. We are licensed physical therapists specializing in integrative manual therapy (IMT), and offer a whole-person approach to wellness, in that we treat the whole body and not just the symptom.

Our wide range of services includes sports injuries, post-surgical rehabilitation, aging issues, women’s and men’s health, cancer symptoms and more. Additionally, we stock foam rollers, gym balls and supplements in the clinic. We are here to help all ages, from babies to seniors! Contact us today for more information or to book an appointment!

Categorised in: Home Exercise, Physical Therapy

This post was written by Writer