Home Exercise Programs are an integral part of the physical therapy approach as it has an essential role in achieving long-term results. The home exercise program helps support the changes a therapist can create in the clinic with other techniques such as dry needling, manual therapy, and acupuncture. A home exercise program can encompass a range of motion exercises, stretching, strengthening, and endurance training. A trained physical therapist can guide patients in performing safe exercises at certain stages in their injury without the risk of re-injury or aggravation.
When a patient comes in for an assessment, a therapist will perform a subjective evaluation. The therapist relies on information from the patient about how the injury occurred and the pain the patient is feeling. The therapist will complete a physical assessment following the subjective assessment, including:
After the therapist collects the information, they can determine a possible diagnosis and discuss proposed treatment goals and plans. Once the therapist and patient create a plan of action, the therapist may use one of many techniques within the session. Throughout the session, the therapist may prescribe a home exercise program.
Home exercise programs are tailored to each patient and vary on the patient’s need at that time. The therapist will select appropriate exercises, teach the proposed exercise to the patient, and observe them ensure they are correctly completing the exercise. Once the patient completes the exercise correctly, they will be assigned this exercise to complete at home with a determined number of repetitions. The therapist will listen to the feedback from the patient to determine if the exercise is appropriate. The patient’s home exercise program will be assessed each session and progressed as needed based on individual abilities.
The overall goal of Innovation Physical Therapy is to produce positive patient experiences and allow patients to be actively involved in their care. A home exercise program is an additional adjunct we use to achieve long-term results in our patients.
