How to get more out of your Physical Therapy treatment

Home Exercise Program (HEP)- The way to get more out of your Physical Therapy treatment.

Physical therapy is one of the most important parts of rehabilitation when recovering from an injury and when it comes to managing pain. Usually, Physical therapy treatments are delivered two to three times a week with each session lasting anywhere from 45, to 60 minutes. Although strength is increased and therapeutic gains are achieved during these Physical Therapy sessions, results will not last if specific exercises have not been performed between sessions too. Home exercise programs are personalized to each individual to help maintain the muscle strength, flexibility, joint range of motion and therapeutic gains.

Home exercise programs (HEPs) require a commitment which often proves to be challenging between busy schedules and lack of equipment at home. However, HEPs are very important for overall successful physical therapy treatment.

• Committing to your personalized home exercise program is important in order to build strength and muscle memory to perform more advanced therapeutic exercises during your Physical Therapy session

• HEP helps to regain prior level of function, alleviate the patient’s pain and to avoid relapse of pain during Physical Therapy.

• Patients who do these home exercises on a regular basis tend to establish a healthy lifestyle with more consistent physical activity - even after successfully completing physical therapy treatments!

• It is important to adhere to your HEP especially in the beginning because you may experience discomfort or soreness as new exercises are introduced. Always keep in mind that exercises should not be painful and if there are questions, patients should not hesitate to discuss with their physical therapist.

Here at Central Jersey Sports and Spine, we offer customized HEP based on each individual’s need with a link to instructional videos, which patients can access anytime, anywhere at their convenience.

Author

Hardik Unjia, DPT