Natalie Tinsley is the senior vice president of therapy services at Masonic; she’s schooling us on the best ways to recover through rehab without being held back. Study up on her tips:
- Don’t skip
Half the battle is showing up. Patients must commit to the therapy sessions because if you skip, you’re only cheating yourself.
Natalie says: “If you miss only one session, you’re in jeopardy of losing everything you gained from the last session.”
- Do your homework
If you are in out-patient therapy, follow the recommendations of your therapist. Sometimes it helps to have someone else in the room with you, not touching you but present, when you do your at home exercises to decrease risk of injury.
Natalie says: “At home is where a lot of the recovery happens.”
- Know your limits….
Sometimes you start to feel better, get up and push too hard before you should – undoing some of your hard-fought progress.
Natalie says: “We see it all the time, someone thinks they’re able to do something again, like walk to the bathroom on their own, they try it and then maybe they fall and we’re back at square one.”
- But set goals as well.
Some common goals for patients are to move home, to return to prior level of functioning or to walk up the 12 steps to the second floor without discomfort. Your therapist will also set goals relating to strength in pounds and range of motion in inches.
Natalie says: “It’s very important that we know what your personal goals are; communicate those to your therapist.”
- Ask questions
Don’t be afraid to raise your hand. Some common questions are: is it okay for me to do a particular activity, should I be having this discomfort, when can I drive and am I doing this correctly?
Natalie says: “Even after you leave and you think something isn’t right or if you forget how to do a certain movement, call back and we’ll help! The more you talk about how your body feels, the more your therapist can help you.”
- Study up on your history
It’s important to know where you started and to be cognizant of any other past injuries that may affect your performance. Prior surgeries from decades before, medications and previous abilities are important to disclose to your therapist. Keeping records of range of motion, for example, at the beginning of therapy to the end of therapy can also be very motivating.
Natalie says: “Be a good body historian and communicate that to your therapist. Something may seem irrelevant, but certain medications can throw off your balance sometimes, for example.”