Have you been having trouble staying motivated with your home exercise programs? Did you discontinue your home therapy because it did not appear to be effective? Our physical therapist at Optimal Home Rehab understands how important it is to clearly explain your program and modify it based on your individual needs in order to ensure you get the results you deserve!
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get better,” is one of the most common statements patients make during their initial evaluation with a physical therapist.
Unfortunately, research on compliance with physical therapy (and most other medical professionals) is less than impressive. Too often, people stop doing their program before it is completed, only to find themselves back to square one.
The good news is our team of physical therapists at Optimal Home Rehab understands how to make sure your program is worth sticking with because the results speak for themselves!
Request an appointment with one of our experts today!
What are the most common barriers to completing home exercise programs?
Maintaining a home exercise program can mean the difference between improving and worsening. A variety of factors influence people’s adherence to their recommended programs.
According to some studies, 65-75% of physical therapy patients discontinue their treatment plan before it is completed. Too often, patients do not report or seek assistance when their programs do not work; instead, they simply stop and never return to their physical therapist.
This is an important topic in healthcare because effective interventions reduce the costs to patients’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being. According to research, the problem of compliance is multifactorial and is influenced by socioeconomic status, education level, living arrangements, health status, and physical fitness.
Improving adherence has a significant impact on the effectiveness of an exercise program and, ultimately, the resolution of your pain/injury. According to research, there is strong evidence that treatment adherence is associated with the following factors:
- Increased pain levels during exercise
- Confusion about the exercise itself and/or why to do the exercises
- Not having desired results quick enough
- Low levels of physical activity at baseline or in previous weeks
- Low in-treatment adherence with exercise
- Lack of belief in performing behaviors needed to get desired results
- Depression, anxiety, or feelings of helplessness
- Poor social support or community involvement
- Greater perceived number of barriers to exercise
At Optimal Home Rehab, we look at the whole person and devote time to explaining, reviewing, and modifying home exercise programs to ensure you get the results you deserve!
What are the essential elements of a successful home exercise program?
We will begin with a thorough evaluation that includes a thorough history to identify all of the factors that may be contributing to your pain or injury. We will use this information to create a program based on the goals we worked together to create.
We use cutting-edge strategies to ensure you get the results you want, and we clearly explain the exercises we want you to do at home. We will go over the entire process with you so that you understand what to do, why to do it, and how to do it! According to the research, the ideal number of exercises is two to a maximum of four per day.
Ensuring compliance to home-based exercises is improved with education and clear instructions on performing the exercises, demonstrating the exercises, and rehearsing the exercise for clarity.
The common principles of a program worth sticking with include the following:
- Collaboration with goal setting
- Text or email reminders
- Clear written instructions
- Video demonstrations
- Consistent message from all healthcare team members
- Patient keeping a journal/calendar of completion
People frequently abandon their programs before completing them. Our therapist at Optimal Home Rehab works with our patients and sticks with them through the ups and downs to ensure they achieve the best possible results!
Make an appointment today!
If not finishing your program feels easier than doing it, let our physical therapists at Optimal Home Rehab assist you in staying motivated by achieving the results you desire!
