Physical therapy can be a life changer, helping people address chronic pain, recovery from surgery or injury, or getting back to a beloved sport. But that's only if physical therapy is done—and done right. Benton Lindaman, Michael Clarke, and Jeff Foucrier, physical therapy faculty members in the Tufts University School of Medicine Department of Rehabilitation Sciences have worked for years with patients who face challenges when it comes to keeping up with physical therapy exercises at home.
Faculty members in the Doctor of Physical Therapy programs in Seattle (Lindaman and Clarke) and Phoenix (Foucrier), they shared tips on finding motivation to keep doing the work, how to recognize soreness vs. pain , and how to best communicate with your physical therapist to keep yourself on track. Our experts agree—if you have any doubt about what a physical therapist sent you home to do, or their assignments are proving to be impractical—speak up.
Physical therapists want to work with you, instead of against you, towards progress. Not many people really want to do physical therapy exercises at home, and it's easy to let it slide when work, family, friends, and outside obligations are all fighting for your free time. Keeping the reason for physical therapy in mind can help.
Lindaman asks his patients "what brought you in the door in the first place?" Their answers become motivators, and it helps to make them specific, such as a patient wanting to recover from an injury to be able t.