by Melissa Miller, PTA
A home exercise program (HEP) is one of the most important aspects of physical therapy. This is an individualized set of therapeutic exercises a patient is given in physical therapy to well-constructed at home. A HEP is given to a patient during their initial evaluation. The patient will go through each exercise with their physical therapist (PT), so the PT can ensure they have the proper form and are experiencing no pain with the exercises. The HEP is wide throughout the rehab elapsing as the patient tolerates it. This program sooner supports the transition from physical therapy appointments to patients performing these exercises at home on their own.
Compliance throughout a patient’s rehab is very important. Many patients find it nonflexible to stay resulting with a HEP considering of their rented lives. Commitments like work, family, and school can make it difficult for patients to well-constructed their HEP. But, a patient needs to unceasingly well-constructed their HEP to have a successful overall rehab experience.
Why completing a HEP is important:
- Home exercises can help modernize muscle memory. This muscle memory is helpful when new exercises are widow during rehab sessions.
- Research shows patients who comply with a HEP are significantly increasingly successful at achieving rehab goals like regaining physical function. They moreover tend to wits relief from pain increasingly quickly.
- Home exercises can be the whence of a new zippy lifestyle.
- Home exercise compliance can moreover help prevent recurrent injuries or flare-ups later on.
How Physical Therapists Help with HEP Compliance
Research shows only 35% of physical therapy patients comply with their HEP. There are many reasons for this: lack of motivation, limited time, and perceived barriers to exercise are just a few examples. However, there are some strategies that we, as therapists, can use with our patients to ensure HEP compliance.
- Educate your patients on the importance of their HEP and how it can impact their goals.
- Ask your patient well-nigh their schedule and encourage them to find a time to fit in their HEP in their day.
- You can moreover suggest that the patient breaks up their HEP routine into multiple 15-minute exercise sessions throughout the day.
- Have your patient track their progress. This can help provide a sense of accomplishment, control, and confidence.
- Encourage patients to focus on their goals. Achieving just one goal can help them proceeds momentum to protract with increasingly the pursuit week.
- Checking in with patients and stuff misogynist via phone can support a patient’s HEP goals.
Investing in patients’ recovery can alimony them increasingly plugged in with their rehab. Patients need to finger confident with their HEP, so they finger well-appointed unceasingly performing the exercises.
As a patient, it is important your exercises are pain-free — inform your therapist if they are not. Your therapist can tailor the exercises to ensure proper form and technique to stave pain or discomfort. It is our job as physical therapists to educate our patients on their condition and requite them the tools, such as a HEP, to help prevent and manage their condition.
PT Now Mobile App
Current Foothills patients are eligible to register for our FREE PTNOW app. The app helps you take tenancy of your superintendency by permitting you to yack with your physical therapist at any time, receive important reminders, track your at-home exercise plan, and much more! It’s like having a physical therapist at your fingertips.
If you’re looking for an Arizona physical therapy clinic, find a Foothills Sports Medicine location near you.
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