Whether you’re recovering from surgery, an injury or an illness, regaining strength takes time, and it’s easy to feel exhausted and discouraged. If you’re starting rehab therapy, Gina Meister, staff physical therapist for the Good Samaritan Society, offers four pieces of advice for when the work becomes challenging.
As she works with patients at the Society’s locations in Le Mars and George, Iowa, Gina focuses on helping them get comfortable while communicating with them about their goals so they understand that they are both working toward the same thing.
“Communication is important. Whatever we’re working on, if a patient has pain or feels like they’ve had a setback, communicating with us will allow us to modify things appropriately,” says Gina.
As you begin your rehab therapy journey, keep these four tips from Gina in mind.
Stay positive
“I encourage our patients to stay positive and not give up. It’s often going to take time to achieve the goals that they want. Therapy isn’t easy and sometimes it’s easy to get frustrated when things don’t move along as quickly as a person would like. It’s easy to say, ‘I’m not doing it today.’ I try to encourage them that we need to keep at it. It’s really important to stay consistent,” says Gina.
Keep moving
Gina emphasizes that healing happens while you’re in motion. “When someone first comes to physical therapy, we really want to try to get them moving on whatever level that is. Even if it’s bed mobility. You’re not going to get more independent and get better unless we get you moving,” she says.
Don’t settle for pain
Let your rehab therapy team know if you’re experiencing pain. “We have various modalities that we use, like standard ultrasound, electrical stimulation, diathermy and massage. A lot of times we try and coordinate our sessions with a patient’s medication schedule so they can tolerate our activity better.
“I’ve found it helpful to provide education to patients on posture. One patient I had would do jigsaw puzzles for hours. I saw her for neck pain. I found an adjustable easel for puzzles and suggested it to her family for her birthday. They ordered it and it has greatly improved her tolerance for an activity she loves,” says Gina.
Choose healthy food
Good nutrition plays a key role in recovery. “We encourage our patients to get a good base of protein because that’s going to help with muscle repair and bone healing. It’s going to help decrease inflammation if that’s an issue. Foods to eat include basic fruits and vegetables. You need to have good nutrition to have the energy you need to participate in therapy. Carbs will be more of a basis for that.
We’re always pushing water. Maintaining hydration will help with restoring your muscles and maintaining good blood pressure. Eating well promotes good health overall. You can’t have good immunity if you don’t have good nutrition,” Gina says.
Once patients are done with rehab therapy, it’s crucial for them to integrate new habits and exercises into their daily routines.
Taking short walks throughout the day and using resistance bands while watching TV are two ways to maintain progress and improve overall well-being.
Learn more about the three types of rehab therapy.
