How to Stick to Your Physio Rehab Plan
While a physiotherapy plan may require routine visits to your local clinic, other plans may involve an at-home program that your physiotherapist recommends you commit to on a regular basis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, at-home physio rehab plans saw a steep increase in popularity, due to a higher number of patients opting for remote treatment as opposed to visiting a clinic in person.
While the benefits of physiotherapy plans completed at home are numerous, it’s also common for patients to find it much harder to stick to a home-based program. Not always having the oversight of a dedicated physiotherapist during treatment can make it difficult to be disciplined. In fact, studies suggest that as many as 65% of people struggle to stick to an at-home physiotherapy regimen.
If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. In the last year, we’ve received several comments from patients who have voiced their concerns about sticking to their physiotherapy plans while outside of the clinic. In this blog, we’ve put together 5 of our best tips on how you can successfully stick to your physio rehab plan and see your desired results.
Tip #1: Believe in the Plan and Understand it Fully
It might sound a bit cliche, but the most important part of sticking to a physiotherapy plan is to truly believe in its benefits. We feel that this is most easily achieved when our patients can properly identify why they chose to pursue physiotherapy treatment in the first place, before fully understanding the benefits their plan can offer.
Perhaps your motivation is to get rid of back pain or get back to enjoying your life after enduring a physical injury. Whatever your reasons may be, be sure to identify your goals and then make sure you understand exactly how your plan will help you overcome your pain or improve your overall function.
Should you need to, don’t be afraid to ask your physiotherapist about the mechanisms behind your plan or let them know if there’s something you don’t understand about your recovery journey.
Tip #2: Schedule Your Day to Include the Exercise
One of the most common reasons why patients give up on their at-home physiotherapy programs is because they claim they don’t have the time for them. Of course, it can be easy for us to set time aside for the things we enjoy doing — but it’s always harder to commit to things that are challenging.
Creating a dedicated schedule to include your exercise routines will make commitment to your plan much easier. Consider choosing a time of your day where exercise feels the least strenuous to you, before adding it to your smartphone calendar as a repeated event. That way, you’ll be less likely to forget to do it or to put it off.
Tip #3: Set Attainable Goals
When creating a life change or setting goals, it can be easy to get carried away. However, it’s important to remember that if you make your plan too challenging, you’ll be more likely to get discouraged or put things off.
We believe your physiotherapy plan will be much easier to stick to if you aim small and set attainable goals throughout the course of your treatment plan. This means breaking down your goals into manageable steps, as well as considering all of the ways to make your plan easier to integrate into your daily life and habits.
Tip #4: Be Patient
One of the key things to remember when undergoing a physiotherapy plan is that results often do not appear overnight. The body is a complex machine, which means it can often take time and commitment before symptoms truly begin to subside and function starts to fully improve.
If you stick to your physiotherapy plan and don’t give up, you will surely start to see signs of improvement in due time. Patience is a virtue!
Tip #5: Tell Your Friends and Family for Extra Motivation
Letting others know about your rehab plan is a great way to establish positive reinforcement and hold yourself accountable for your treatment. If your friends and family members can help remind you about your treatment or encourage you to stay on course, this can help you to stay extra motivated.
Better yet, you may have a friend or family member who wants to join you while you exercise. This is a great way to make sticking to your rehab plan more enjoyable!
Contact Delta Physiotherapy & Rehab Today
We hope you enjoyed this article and hope it will help you stay motivated throughout your physio rehab plan.
If you’re looking to start your own physical rehabilitation plan to improve your function or manage your pain, our team at Delta Physiotherapy & Rehab in Mississauga is ready to help. Our comprehensive approach to pain management has been proven to be successful in helping patients prevent future pain or improve their overall performance.
To learn more, get in touch with us by calling 905-270-3086, completing our online contact form or by booking an appointment online. We look forward to hearing from you!
