Home Exercise Programs (HEP's) are invaluable tools to giving clients indepedence over their own recovery - and provide useful insight to the issues at hand.
Injury can be a frustrating time, but also a constant anxiety for those who train regularly - especially those who can feel their aches/niggles developing as each day passes. In addition to Sports Massage, I endeavour to educate my clients, making them understand the issues they face better. To reinforce this, I give my clients a series of exercises that I believe best reflect their condition - even if they're in for maintenance sports massage. And for this, I use Physiotec.
PhysioTec is a software I use to cherry pick the exercises I believe will do the client the most justice. It’s a brilliant online tool which organises hundreds of exercises by region, movement and aim, and allows me to create individual personalised programs for each individual I see. The software is simple to use and saves me time, allowing me to send feedback to clients in a reasonable time frame whilst remaining effective.
The exercises come with images and descriptions (the latter of which can be tweaked if needed) making it easy for for clients to follow. Some require equipment, which I try to provide where I can, but a lot of the kit is inexpensive to buy. I can also input and change sets, repetitions and 'hold time' for each position. The software offers great flexibility to offer maximum personalisation.
If a client doesn't understand any of the exercises I've set, I'm will take them through the exercises to clarify technique and position when they come back to the treatment room. I like to keep the exercises open and changable so I often ask clients about the exercises they were given and if they would like to change any or for me to update them to relfect what we see in the massage sessions.
Offering HEP's is not standard for sports massage therapists - although it is for me and PowerKnapp. Having worked in a clinic with a few outstanding Physiotherapists, I was inspired to utilise such a software. I was conscious that I didn't want clients using me as their sole solution to their physical ailments. Not all minor ailments can be solved with a massage after all! I wanted to give clients some power over their niggles.
In cases where the injury is considerable and rehab is essential, I advise those clients to seek out rehab with specialists like Physiotherapists. Whilst I'm keen to help, I'm not naive to the fact that rehabilitation is not my expertise and I could do them more damage by ignorantly giving them ill-advised exercises.
Why get a Sports Massage at all, if you can regularly do some prehab/rehab exercises to tackle your aches/niggles/injuries for free, every day of the week? As much as a sports massage can release tension, I can not inject or build strength or stability into the muscle tissue. That comes from doing targeted exercises often. And that can only be done by the client finding the time and motivation to do them. But there are few exercises that can help release tension like a sports massage can, meaning massage is still an important tool to your recovery.
My priority is to get my clients better so they can get back to doing the things they love the most as quickly as I can - without cutting corners - ensuring I don't drag out the road to recovery unnecessarily with extra session sessions. If a therapist says you need to come back multiple in times in a short period of time, without providing exercises to give you some control over the situation, the likelihood is they probably not prioritising your wellbeing, they just want your custom.
HEP's are often underated in their importance, and for therapist like me who deals with more minor issues and muscle maintenance via sports massage, Physiotec is excellent and offers way more functionality than I need - with features I'm sure more advanced rehab specialists like Physiotherapists could utilise to the fullest.
Do you use a HEP that a therapist has given you? Do you still use one or two of the exercises to this day?