If you’ve ever given up on physical therapy work, you’re not alone.
A new survey shows that nearly 75% of people involved in physical therapy fail to complete their exercise program at home, hindering their recovery.
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“The one to three hours a patient spends in physical therapy per week is a pittance compared to the 168 hours a week we provide,” said Kyle Smith, a physical therapist at Ohio State Medical Center. News release. “And having patients physically stay in the clinic for one to three hours is not enough to make a big difference in the grand scheme of things.”
Only 24% of the 1,000 survey respondents said they completed their entire physical therapy regimen at home. People aged 65 and older were more likely to complete it than those under 30.
The main reason people said they didn’t do home exercise was because they forgot or didn’t have reminders. The second most common reason was not having enough time.
But Smith said physical therapists can be responsive to patients’ concerns or questions about their abilities to complete prescribed exercises. They can recommend adjustments that will incorporate exercise into their daily routine. This might mean climbing the stairs, parking away from the destination to increase the amount of walking, or doing balance and stretching exercises while getting things done.
“As physical therapists, we need to educate patients that they ultimately have to do some work to reach the goals of building strength and mobility and reducing the body’s pain sensitivity,” Smith said.
Other findings showed that:
• 28% completed 75% to 99% of their exercise.
• 27% completed 50% to 74% of their exercise.
• 10% exercised between 25% and 49%.
• Less than 8% completed 1% to 25% of their exercise.
• 2% did not do any exercise.
Last year, Faculty of Physical Therapy Tufts University School The following suggestions were made for maintaining a physical therapy routine:
• Try to keep in mind why you entered physical therapy. Maybe it’s to recover from an injury, to be able to play with grandchildren, or to be able to go running or hiking again.
• Be realistic about your goals, and ask your physical therapist to help you focus on a few key exercises.
• Talk to your physical therapist about any concerns.
