As the word itself suggests rehabilitation is no quick fix. It’s a journey, a journey both you and your patient embark on to get back to whatever their level of activity is, and it’s different for every patient we meet. One patient’s goal might be to take their grandchildren to the park without experiencing pain, whereas another patient might want to get back to their training for a particular sporting event. As health care professionals we need to consider this when providing care to our patients. What’s great for one patient might not be for the next and understanding your patient’s needs is key in providing them with the best rehab plan for them.
Monitoring progress
Take note of the little things, healing takes time and rehabilitation is no exception to the rule. It might be the case that your patient cannot see any results in the early stage of the rehab plan, but that may not be the case. Communicate with them, they may not be able to increase the load at this stage but has their pain when walking reduced?
Education is key
Slip some education into the plan, it’s all well and good “getting your patient back to their normal” but is it any good if they don’t know why they wound up in your clinic in the first place? Teach them the error of their ways, did they think they were the next Mo Farah on their first run in months? Or have they been pushing on and ignoring their foot pain? Whether it’s one of the two or something completely different it’s important you arm your patient with the information they need to avoid re-injury in the future, nobody likes an “I told you so” but if it saves them pain and suffering, believe me, they will thank you for it. And this isn’t just for rehabilitation, adopting an informative approach to treatment comes with many benefits for both the patient and HCP.
Have found this short blog useful? Would you like to delve deeper into the rehabilitation process? “Getting your patients back to their normal” is a Masterclass by Nick Knight which takes you through the process step by step including a hub of rehabilitation exercises to take to your clinic.
https://www.osgolearning.co.uk/item/getting-patients-back-to-their-normai/
