Everyone should prioritize exercise in their day-to-day life, especially if they’ve been injured or they’re struggling with a medical condition that’s reducing their mobility. Once your patients learn about the proper exercises at your practice, it’s important that they continue doing their therapeutic exercises between sessions at your clinic. That’s why your physical therapy practice should offer HEPs to help maximize their results.
HEP stands for home exercise program, and they are beneficial to nearly every single one of your patients. It’s important to learn about the purpose of a physical therapy HEP and how to design one.
The purpose of a HEP in physical therapy
A home exercise program is a staple in nearly every physical therapy treatment plan. The goal of a HEP is to ensure that your patient continues to improve their strength, flexibility and range of motion between their physical therapy sessions. If they don’t continuously work to improve, they could undo some of the progress that’s been made during sessions.
A HEP should complement the techniques and treatments that you’re doing in the clinic. By providing them with a home exercise program, you are encouraging them to hold themselves accountable for their health and wellness while providing them with independence.
How to design a HEP in physical therapy
The HEP should be just as personalized as the patient’s treatment plan. When you’re designing a HEP in physical therapy, there are a few factors that you should keep in mind when determining which exercises to include:
- Cause of pain and reduced mobility.
- Severity of symptoms.
- Medical history.
- Physical ability.
- Access to additional equipment.
It can include a mix of different exercise therapy methods, including:
- Strength training.
- Balance training.
- Aerobic conditioning.
It’s important to clarify how often each exercise should be practiced and how many sets need to be completed each time.
Alliance PTP’s caring, effective and committed PT partnership can discuss HEPs in physical therapy and much more
Caring. Effective. Committed. These aren’t words that come to mind when you think about physical therapy partnerships, but Alliance Physical Therapy Partners is here to change that.
Our committed team has built a highly effective nationwide partner network. This network includes unique PT practices that are staffed by caring physical therapists who are ready to provide patients with effective, personalized care for their needs. We’re also committed to helping our partners identify, plan for and address obstacles like designing HEPs for physical therapy patients.
Still not sure if partnering with Alliance PTP is the right move for your PT practice? Take this quick quiz to find out if our partnership in care is right for you, or contact our team today to learn more about our caring, effective and committed Alliance PTP partnership.