“Making your results after rehabilitation last is as simple as listening to your body, following your physical or occupational therapist’s instructions and committing to an ongoing lifestyle of wellness.”
Rehab That Lasts
You’ve checked out of your inpatient experience at Sam Swope Care Center at Masonic Home Louisville and you are loading up the car to head home. The door closes, the engine starts and you breathe a sigh of relief: You did it, you conquered rehabilitation! But, as you drive away, worries may arise.
Worries about an injury and rehabilitation come in many forms. Your family may worry about how they can best help you, or, how you are feeling. You, on the other hand, probably have one looming thought: How can I sustain the progress I made in rehabilitation.
Rest easier knowing there are steps you can take to help ensure your hard work in rehab doesn’t regress. Assistant Rehabilitation Manager Kristen Luttrell, DPT, GCS, CEEAA, at Masonic Homes Kentucky outlines the best ways to make your rehabilitation last:
Complete your exercises
As you prepare to be discharged, your therapist will give you at-home exercises to continue your recovery. Your therapist will review all the exercises with you to ensure you know how to safely perform. This is a great time to ask questions if you have any concerns. You may recognize some of the exercises from the early stages of your recovery, but you should still go over the plan thoroughly to make sure you understand and can comfortably complete any new exercises.
“At home is where a lot of the recovery happens still,” said Luttrell, “I can’t stress how important your home exercise program is to continued progress. Longevity is really helped by making sure that you follow through with your home exercise program.”
Even when you’ve met the goal assigned by your therapist, making your exercise plan a routine is very beneficial. Continuing to do your assigned exercises after the prescribed completion date can only aid in long-term success and healing.
“Your exercise program doesn’t have an end date. The exercises and activities should become a part of your daily routine to help retain the progress you made in therapy,” said Luttrell.
Get Support from a Loved One
Have a family member in the room as you receive your at-home exercises in case you need assistance completing them. If there are memory-loss concerns, it’s especially important for a family member to receive the same information as the patient including a copy of the exercise plan.
In addition to offering extra clarity, having a family member understand the treatment plan and at-home exercises can also help with accountability. Finally, having someone in the room as you do your at-home exercises can aid in recovery and prevent injury.
Know your limits
Set backs are a natural occurrence during recovery but shouldn’t impede progress completely. You may sleep in an odd position one night and wake up the next morning with limited range of motion. You may strain a muscle while making dinner and find the next day that one exercise you had mastered is difficult again. Take these in stride and understand that every day will be different. Some days you will surprise yourself, while other days you will need to set limits.
Often, new exercises can be integrated into a post-care plan. Some discomfort can be expected, but outright pain can be a warning sign. “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,” said Luttrell.
Commit to a Lifetime Plan
At some point, you will reach the end of your rehabilitation and complete all exercises. Now what?
While you may no longer be in recovery, you can live a life of prevention to help with longevity. Whether your injury and need for rehabilitation was accidental or expected, you can watch for warning signs of relapse. Stay in touch with your physical therapist. They may prescribe an annual check in, but in the interim, utilize your resources to be aware of your body’s overall health. Every once in a while, also check in on range of motion or other key progress indicators that you focused on while in rehabilitation.
Improving longevity after rehabilitation can seem daunting as you strike out on your own, but at its core is as simple as listening to your body, following your physical therapist’s instructions and committing to an ongoing lifestyle of prevention and wellness.
“The saying ‘if you don’t use it, you lose it,’ is so true in rehab and recovery,” said Luttrell. “Use your muscles, do your exercises and improve your activity level.”