How To Keep Up With Physical Therapy When You Have A Busy Lifestyle?

Are you struggling to fit physical therapy sessions into your life?

Tempted to trade your tailor-made and supervised physical therapy sessions for generic YouTube videos?

Or just ignoring the problem and hoping it'll go away?

Don’t. Studies show that patients who do physical therapy under supervision do much better than those without a guide to supervise their training and provide compassionate encouragement.

But we also know that sticking to a consistent physical therapy program can be a challenge when you have a busy life and hectic schedule with lots of last-minute changes popping up all the time.

Work, business meetings, childcare, sick relatives, vacations, and an ever-expanding social calendar. Obstacles can and do come up.

However, if you want to promote the healing process properly and make a full and swift recovery, it is vital to have regular physical therapy sessions.

Delaying treatment and trying to treat injuries, pain, stiffness, reduced mobility, and flexibility at home can lead to many problems further down the line.

Without professional physical therapy treatment, your symptoms are likely to get worse over time, not better, so you're just delaying the pain.

If you're already suffering and in pain, putting off treatment can cause worsening mood and mental health effects in relation to the pain, too.

Plus, like most things, early intervention leads to better treatment outcomes. Sometimes, it might even be too late, with the only option left for you, after delaying treatment, being surgery. 

Physical therapy sessions can help you reduce pain, improve movement and physical function, and restore your quality of life. We help you find and fix the root cause and prevent problems from reoccurring, too. 

So, how can you stop your busy schedule from interfering with your ability to attend regular physical therapy sessions?

Here we will look at some ways you can follow your physical therapy routine – without interruption – to relieve your symptoms and get back to your daily routine with improved functionality, mobility, and zest for life. 

More Blogs From Cardin & Miller:

How Can Improving My Posture Reduce My Aches?

Is Hip Pain Hindering You?

What Can I Do About The Pain In My Neck?

Allocate A Fixed Time

Instead of looking for free time to book a last-minute physical therapy session, try to allocate a fixed time. Select a day and time that suits your routine and try to fix it permanently if you need physical therapy.

To heal properly, you must take time out for your physical therapy sessions and prioritize them by committing to the appointment time.

Make sure that the day/time you select will be free of disturbance/interruption, so you can 100% focus on your health and well-being without rescheduling the sessions. 

Considering the responsibilities we all face of juggling between our personal and professional commitments, there are bound to be things that distract from your physical therapy sessions at some time.

The key is that, once you set a time for your appointment with your Physical Therapist, make sure that you inform friends, colleagues, and family members, so that they are aware of your commitment and can provide accountability to help you stick to your schedule.

Another benefit of having a fixed time is that if something does come up, you can make the necessary arrangements, including rescheduling whatever has come up, so you do not miss out on your physical therapy sessions.

Finally, when you have a fixed therapy time, you can inform friends/colleagues/family members that you have a prior commitment.  

Set Yourself A Reminder

If you visit your Physical Therapist on certain days of the week, make it a point to set a reminder in your calendar at home and work, so you don’t lose track.

You can make a note of it by adding a calendar entry on your digital devices - preferably your smartphone, since that is the most used of all devices.

Having a notification set up ensures that, no matter how busy your schedule is, you will always get an alert in time to keep to your appointment and not skip any physical therapy sessions.    

Keep Track Of Your Progress

One of the most effective ways to stay motivated when following any sort of routine is to set a personal goal.

It’s the same with physical therapy. The objective of setting goals and achieving them is that they help you stay on track because you’re focusing on your goal and the end result.

Your “why ."Keep your goal realistic, so it’s attainable and possible to accomplish. If it's achievable, it will motivate you toward your next goal.

Keeping track of the progress you are making also helps you to see how effective your efforts are and whether they need to be tweaked to improve your results.

We find that people who set goals or objectives for themselves tend to accomplish more in a shorter space of time than those who don’t set a goal.

The sense of achieving even a minor victory helps motivate. It serves as an incentive to continue doing whatever you want.  

Aim To Start Early 

While not everyone is an early riser, we see in practice that those who change their routine to do physical activities first thing in the morning are much more likely to accomplish their goals and stick to their routine.

One of the main reasons why is that an early start provides an extra bit of time in the morning - when you normally would be sleeping - to get things done before your day and daily chores start.

When you schedule time in the early morning hours, you're also less likely to get distracted than later in the day, making it easier to commit and stick to your schedule.

Planning your physical therapy sessions for the early morning will also likely leave you feeling energized and ready for the day. 

Many patients miss out on their physical therapy sessions because of a lack of time due to other important daily commitments.

However, getting up earlier makes it much easier to devote that much-needed time to complete physical therapy and get on with other activities without interruptions.

Initially, starting your day earlier may not seem like an attractive option. Still, once you do it regularly over a couple of weeks, you’ll form a new healthy habit. 

The easiest way to ensure you are up early in the morning and ready for physical therapy sessions is to go to bed earlier at night.

Most late risers get up late because they go to bed late because of distractions like television or using their smartphone or other digital devices in the bedroom.

But you can change your habits. Think about introducing an evening routine that prepares you for sleep much earlier.

Take a relaxing bath, switch off all your devices, and dim the lights. Even starting to wind down for bed 30 – 60 minutes earlier than usual will make a difference in your routine the next day.

Initially, this may seem challenging, but it will be part of your normal routine in a few days.   

Discuss Any Timing Issues With Your Physical Therapist.

Despite your best efforts, if you still regularly find it difficult to stick to your physical therapy appointments, you can discuss the issue with your Therapist.

We can help you plan a customized schedule to work around your busy schedule. We can also share some tailor-made exercise movements specific to you that you can do at home on your own to complement your in-clinic sessions.

We want you to achieve your goals, and we always go the extra mile to accommodate and ensure our patients succeed. 

Physical therapy is proven to be effective in treating a wide variety of medical conditions. We customize the treatments and the schedule per your presenting symptoms, lifestyle, and desired outcome, from alleviating your pain to restoring mobility and functionality to lead a normal healthy life. It can be life-changing, so it's worth making the time for. 

Book A Free 15-Minute Telephone Consultation 

To make things even easier for you and to fit around your already busy schedule, we offer all new patients the opportunity to find out more about us and whether we can help you with a free 15-minute telephone consultation with an expert. 

During these consultations, we answer all your questions and help you decide whether physical therapy is the right choice for you without you having to leave your home or office.

During the call, we can also help you plan how to schedule your ongoing sessions around your current schedule – with evening, lunchtime, or early morning appointments. We're here to help in any way we can.

We love to help people live the life they deserve, doing all the things they love to do without addictive painkillers or endless doctor’s appointments.

We know it’s tempting to simply say, “I haven’t got time,” and hope that things will get better on their own. But the sad reality is they don’t and often get worse.

Whether it's back, foot, or any other pain, we can help you. 

So, don’t put it off any longer. Let us help you. Click here to book your free consultation.