Those of you who have been to a physical therapist for treatment of an injury or painful condition should have a general understanding of the process. After conducting a thorough evaluation of your condition, the therapist will create a personalized treatment plan to address your impairments, improve your function and reduce pain. On top of the interventions performed at the physical therapy clinic, most plans will also include a home-exercise program to be completed both during and after treatment has concluded.

These home-exercise programs are a necessary component to the rehabilitation process and help to ensure that the improvements made during treatment are sustained. Unfortunately, though, most people don’t actually follow through with them, as only 35% of patients fully stick to their course of care in physical therapy. At CAM Physical Therapy & Wellness Services, we’d like to remind you why these programs are so important in order to help you reap the most benefits from physical therapy in Laurel.

When a physical therapist makes a treatment plan, every element of it plays a role in helping you improve. Since you can only see a physical therapist a few times a week, the home exercise program is designed to help you continue the progress you make within the office at home, and is especially essential after treatment is over, when you no longer have office visits. Studies have shown that better adherence to these programs leads to greater improvements in pain, physical function and a patient’s perception on treatment, which means a much better overall outcome when programs are followed.

In most cases, certain barriers may prevent patients from completing their home-exercise programs, and in this day and age, there can certainly be a number of them. Common barriers include lower levels of physical activity, a weekly schedule that’s too hectic and lack of motivation or lack of interest to perform the exercises. As physical therapists, it’s one of our biggest challenges to get patients to be motivated enough to follow through with home-exercise programs, but we have a vested interest in your improvement and encourage you to be more of an active member in your rehab. Here are some tips to help you better adhere to your next—or current—home-exercise program:

• Schedule the program into your weekly and daily routine by setting aside a specific time block
• Understand that you can break up your routine throughout the day, so if you have only 15 minutes or so to spare, use that to complete some of your exercises
• Track your workouts, which will help you feel more accomplished afterwards
• Set short-term, measurable and attainable goals, which will help to improve your motivation after achieving them
• Be honest with your physical therapist; they won’t scold you if you’re slacking, but instead will offer additional motivation and support during the process

Ultimately, it’s up to YOU to take control of your rehabilitation and decide how much you’d like to improve. By adhering to your home-exercise program, you can get the most out of your physical therapy in Laurel, and will experience the best possible outcome. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact CAM Physical Therapy and Wellness Services in Laurel, Hyattsville, Glenn Dale/Bowie and Parkville, MD at 301-853-0093.