When you have a condition or injury that requires physical therapy, you may spend a few hours a week regaining mobility at a clinic. But just as a doctor prescribes medication for illnesses, your physical therapist will prescribe a home exercise plan to promote progress. While these exercises aid recovery, the professionals at Physical Therapy Specialists in Dothan, AL, say that many patients don’t stick with the plan — a behavior that could have consequences.

As you continue working with your physical therapist, it’s important to learn the proper technique and follow instructions as prescribed. Doing so will help:

• Speed Recovery: If you are recovering from an injury, such as a broken bone, you’ll go through a gradual process with your therapist to retrain your muscles to support and move your body. In the initial stages, you may only do small exercises to get joints moving. By doing these routines several times throughout the day at home, you keep your muscles active, which will help speed up your recovery.   
• Strengthen Muscles: Injuries can increase the chances that you will experience a similar problem in the future. As such, it is not only important to use your home exercise plan to heal but to also strengthen your muscles. By following the plan instructions, you can target vulnerable muscles and build them in a way that reduces the risk of future injury.
• Maintain Awareness: After a while, you may feel that your body is back to normal and your muscles have recovered their strength. Although this may mark the end of your visits to the clinic, you will likely need to keep up with a home exercise plan. If you let it go by the wayside, you may slip back into bad behaviors — such as poor posture — that make you vulnerable to your initial injury.

If you’re in need of physical therapy, it’s important to work with a specialist that has experience preparing home exercise plans specific to your injury. For comprehensive assistance that you can rely on, turn to the experts at Physical Therapy Specialists in Dothan, AL. Since 1991, their out-patient therapy services and customized care plans have helped patients regain independence and pain relief for a variety of conditions and injuries. To get started with your long-term recovery, call the clinic at (334) 673-2422.