Are your patients bored or unmotivated?
Making physiotherapy sessions more fun can increase patients’ motivation and improve their adherence to treatment.
Conventional physiotherapy sessions often end up boring patients due to the repetition of the same type of activities over long periods of time.
That’s why we offer you 5 ideas that you can easily apply to improve your therapeutic exercise sessions.
1. Fun physiotherapy sessions outdoors
Physiotherapy sessions outdoors has numerous advantages that can benefit both patients and therapists.
A change of scenery, especially if it is a pleasant environment, can make patients feel more motivated and enthusiastic about their therapy.
Outdoor spaces offer a rich variety of visual, auditory and tactile stimuli not found in an enclosed environment.
Contact with nature has been shown to reduce levels of stress, anxiety and depression. Moreover, natural light aids in the production of vitamin D, which is essential for bone health and general well-being.
Uneven terrain and different ground textures outdoors (grass, sand, gravel) can offer additional challenges, which can improve patients’ balance, coordination and strength.
Open spaces allow for exercises that require more space, such as walking, jogging, and activities with large ranges of motion.
Fresh, well-oxygenated air improves breathing and can make exercise more effective, especially in patients with respiratory problems.
Performing therapy outdoors can better prepare patients for real-life situations, where they need to move in different types of terrain and weather conditions.
2. Group activities
If you have the option, organise group sessions where patients can interact and support each other.
You can pair patients with peers for rehabilitation exercises, fostering camaraderie and mutual support.
Set small challenges or competitions (who can do the most repetitions in a given time, or who can hold a pose the longest).
Finally, group sessions can provide opportunities for patients to socialise more casually, which can be beneficial to their mental and emotional health.
3. Integrating Technology into Physiotherapy sessions
You can use video games with sports environments, dance or any activity that motivates the patient and allows them to work on the therapeutic objectives.
But… Did you know that there are virtual exercises specifically designed to make physiotherapy sessions more fun?
Find out about specific video games for physiotherapy here. All you need is a computer and a TV to start integrating technology into your sessions.
Play recharges batteries, generates endorphins. If it is important to have fun when we are healthy, imagine how necessary it will be for a person who is going through a time of illness or loss of abilities.
Thanks to virtual exercises, we can recreate these pleasurable sensations in a therapeutic environment.
4. Physiotherapy sessions made more fun, thanks to music
Musical instruments: You can use simple instruments such as drums or tambourines to integrate movement and music, helping in limb rehabilitation.
Of course, upbeat and lively background music can influence the mood of patients.
You can even design exercises where the movements are performed to the rhythm of a song. This can be especially useful for improving coordination and rhythm.
5. Reward sistems
You can offer small prizes or points for achieving certain goals. Points can be redeemed for token rewards at the end of treatment.
It can be great fun to generate a dynamic of reward points in the gym and choose the ‘patient of the week’ based on criteria such as constancy, effort capacity, achievement of an important milestone in their recovery.
These are just 5 ideas, but you have more than 100 activities designed in the Rehametrics physical rehabilitation software, which will allow you to offer much more fun physiotherapy sessions.
