Altitude Physical Therapy

pt pearls of wisdom

  • COVID-19
  • Locations
    • All Locations
    • Boulder
    • Broomfield
    • Englewood
    • Lafayette
    • Longmont
    • Wheat Ridge
  • For Patients
    • Schedule an Appointment
    • Friends and Family Program
    • Patient Paperwork
    • Body Part Questionnaire
    • Am I Covered?
    • Your First Visit
    • Why Physical Therapy?
    • Injury Finder
    • Services
    • FAQ
  • Physical Therapists
  • Reviews
    • Review Boulder
    • Review Broomfield
    • Review Englewood
    • Review Lafayette
    • Review Longmont
    • Review Wheat Ridge
  • PT Pearls
  • Pay Online
  • Wellness Warehouse

5/15/2020

How long should I do home exercises after finishing PT?

7 Comments

Read Now
 
One of the common questions a physical therapist will answer is: “how long should I do home exercises after finishing PT?” This is a great question and is generally specific to an individual patient’s needs. For example, a 19-year-old athlete with a rotator cuff surgery will have drastically different limitations and needs than a 69-year-old with a rotator cuff surgery. That being said there are some general guidelines a physical therapist will consider when answering this question
The answer to this question largely depends on what a person was in physical therapy to address.  If a patient is rehabilitating from lumbar fusion surgery it is important to maintain core strength around the fusion to protect the hardware for years or decades to come; in this case a therapist may suggest “forever exercises” to be done at a minimum of one day per week indefinitely. Contrast this to a flare up of elbow tendonitis due to swinging a hammer excessively while doing a home improvement project. This isolated event may require only one or two months of exercises to resolve and fully rehab the elbow back to baseline strength.
Picture

General Guidelines

​A general rule of thumb is that complete post-surgical exercise routines typically will last at least six months, and often significantly longer. The older an individual having surgery, the more likely they will need to do upwards of 12+ months of rehabilitation exercises. Take the example of the 19-year-old and 69-year-old rotator cuff repairs above. The 19-year-old may be back to playing baseball within ten months post-op, having achieved full range-of-motion and strength.  At ten months the 69-year-old may still be 15% shy of their full overhead motion with notable weakness when reaching overhead. The 69-year-old may need to continue their shoulder exercises for 18 to 24 months in total to achieve their full potential.
Picture

Realistic and Achievable

​One of the most important factors to consider when making a long-term exercise plan--whether PT related or not--is that it needs to be realistic and achievable. I know I can’t tell a patient they will need to do seven-day-a-week exercises for the rest of their lives; it’ll never happen!  I tend to explain to patients that muscle strengthening happens effectively with as little as two resistance workouts per week and that strength maintenance can occur with only one workout a week.  Based on these guidelines, I help the patient to determine what is a reasonable home exercise program moving out of PT. For the 69-year-old rotator cuff repair patient, they could continue one-day-a-week exercises for 15 minutes or they may opt to continue a five-day-a-week program, depending on their goals and motivation. 
Picture
​Like most questions a PT gets asked, this question does not have a one-size-fits-all answer. Certain injuries will heal and a patient will be 100% better within a few months requiring no further exercise regimen. Some surgeries or large injuries will require six plus months of rehab exercises. Other injuries--my own low back pain included--can be nagging and need addressing weekly or as needed during a flare up. Speak to your physical therapist if you need clarity on your home exercise program and how long to continue it after discharge from PT. 

Author

Eric Hanyak, PT, DPT

Share

7 Comments
Rebecca Ulmer
11/16/2020 04:40:23 pm

Though exercise is usually my answer to many things in my life, realistic guidelines are good to hear! I tend to over do, but am thankful for all the suggestions.

Reply
Zoe Campos link
11/24/2020 05:16:34 am

Thanks for letting me know that typical exercises after surgery take about 6 months. This information will be useful to my brother, who just underwent a knee replacement surgery last week. I guess it's time for me to look for physical therapy clinics that offer telehealth services.

Reply
Michele Mahmood
12/2/2020 10:38:49 am

We're glad we could help with some general recommendations! Altitude offers telehealth services for anyone in the state of Colorado if that's helpful :).

Reply
Chris Pederson link
1/27/2021 04:04:52 pm

I had no idea that forever exercises can be suggested by a therapist. That would honestly drive me crazy. But, I understand that it is worth it so that my body works properly.

Reply
Eric Hanyak PT
2/3/2021 07:18:16 pm

Hi Chris,thanks for your comment. I think many patients would agree that "forever" seems a little crazy. I try to make the forever exercise idea as reasonable as possible so patients don't find themselves doing PT exercises seven days a week. Often these forever exercises can be done as little as 1-2x/week for a few minutes to maintain gains. Also, patients can always try weaning from exercise regimens and then coming back to it as needed with the minimum dosage required to feel good.

Reply
Sally Giles link
3/3/2021 01:50:00 am

This blog is great check it out

Reply
Kristofer Van Wagner link
4/5/2021 10:24:31 pm

It is wonderful that this post underlined that one of many benefits of hiring a physical therapist is that they will be able to guide us on the proper exercises and forms. My wife mentioned that she has excruciating backaches. I will definitely recommend her to seek a physical therapist.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

Details

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Achilles Pain
    AC Joint
    Back Pain
    Balance
    Concussion
    Detraining
    Frozen Shoulder
    Gait
    Home Exercise Program
    Hydration
    Ice Or Heat
    Infection
    Joint By Joint
    Kinesiotape
    MRI
    Muscle Strain
    National PT Month
    Osteoarthritis
    Pain
    Plantar Fasciitis
    Rehabilitation Journey
    Shoes
    Shoulder Impingement
    Squat Mechanics
    Strength Training
    Tendonitis
    Triathletes
    Vertigo

    Authors

    Christina Bateman, PT, DPT
    Lisa Corken, PT, DPT
    Chelsey Creedon, PT, DPT
    Bridget End, PT, DPT
    Elana Gordon, PT, DPT
    Eric Hanyak, PT, DPT
    Heather Shaughnessy, PT, DPT
    David Simmons, PT, DPT

Paperwork
Schedule
Contact Us
Pay my bill
  • COVID-19
  • Locations
    • All Locations
    • Boulder
    • Broomfield
    • Englewood
    • Lafayette
    • Longmont
    • Wheat Ridge
  • For Patients
    • Schedule an Appointment
    • Friends and Family Program
    • Patient Paperwork
    • Body Part Questionnaire
    • Am I Covered?
    • Your First Visit
    • Why Physical Therapy?
    • Injury Finder
    • Services
    • FAQ
  • Physical Therapists
  • Reviews
    • Review Boulder
    • Review Broomfield
    • Review Englewood
    • Review Lafayette
    • Review Longmont
    • Review Wheat Ridge
  • PT Pearls
  • Pay Online
  • Wellness Warehouse