Post Acute Rehab Recovery Tips

At Santé, our post acute rehab program is designed to strengthen you and increase your independence following stroke, surgery, or other illness or injury. The goal is to allow you to return home, where you can continue to do your rehabilitation exercises to maintain that independence and prevent further injury long-term.

Here are some simple exercises that can easily be continued at home after your acute rehab stay.

Recovering After Stroke

The thought of rehabilitation following a stroke can seem overwhelming. But many patients experience full recovery with the right combination of therapy and rehabilitation. The more function you are able to regain in the arms, hands, and legs, the easier it will be to maintain your previous lifestyle. Try these exercises at home:

• Use your strong arm to perform passive range of motion exercises on your weak arm three times daily. Use the technique taught by your occupational therapist to stretch tight muscles and hold for sixty seconds.
• Repeatedly use the affected limb over the unaffected limb; choose to use the affected limb to eat, brush your teeth, turn door knobs, etc. This can train the brain to recognize the hand again and promote control of movement.
• Strengthen the arms with light handweights and resistance bands.

Recovering After Surgery

Maintaining your rehabilitation exercises following your return to home is important in experiencing complete recovery after many surgical procedures. The therapy will vary depending on the procedure performed. But here are some general tips and tricks to help you maintain a healthy routine at home:

• Always stretch before beginning your exercises to warm up your muscles and joints and prevent injury.
• Perform the exercises you learned in occupational therapy as you remember. Discomfort is okay but you should release the exercise if pain in experienced.
• Challenge yourself to perform difficult tasks at home that fit within your restrictions.

To learn more about physical therapy and post acute rehab after stroke or surgery, visit Santé today!