The statistics on home exercise compliance after physical therapy discharge are striking. Research consistently shows that between 24 and 35 percent of patients fully adhere to their prescribed home exercise program after discharge. For the rest — up to 73 percent — the exercises stop within weeks. This is not a motivation problem. It is…
When someone leaves physical therapy with a home exercise program, the instinct is often to evaluate the exercises themselves. Are they the right movements? Are the sets and reps appropriate? Is the progression correct? These are reasonable questions. But they are almost never the source of the problem. The exercises on a standard discharge sheet…
Physical therapy discharge is typically framed as a success. The patient has completed their course of treatment. They have met their clinical goals, or progressed to the point where continued clinic-based therapy is no longer necessary. They leave with a home exercise program and instructions to continue their work independently. For many patients, what follows…