My name is Becca and I work for SOL Physical Therapy, but I’m not a physical therapist.
I’m getting physical therapy to get rid of left arm/neck/shoulder pain I’ve been experiencing since 2009, and I’m taking you along on my journey to give you a newbie’s perspective on what physical therapy is all about.
After the good news that my physical therapy was working after just 1 session, I decided it was time to get committed and buy all the gear I would need for my HEP (Home Exercise Program)!
Part of the reason I was a bad physical therapy patient is because I made the assumption that I would do my home exercise program … at work.
I have all the gear I need, and I have dozens of well-trained eyes to watch me. But the true story is that I don’t have time during my work day to sit down for 15 minutes and get my HEP in. I wear a lot of different hats here at SOL, and I am constantly hustling while I’m here. (No complaints at all. I’m one of those folks who is happiest when hustling.)
After seeing my SOL PT on Friday, I knew that my success would rely on getting the gear I needed to do my HEP at home — where it belongs. Here’s my list of gear!
#1: The Grid: A compact foam roller that travels well.
My apartment in the Oakland Hills is wonderful. It’s spacious, has a big back deck, and looks out on a eucalyptus grove. Sometimes deer and wild turkeys run by, and the hummingbirds flock to the tree right outside my living room window. Despite the beautiful view, my place is severely storage challenged.
While our larger foam rollers are perfect for folks with storage, I personally didn’t want to add a foam roller to the already garish wall o’ plastic storage tubs sitting in the part of my living room opposite the view of nature. (It’s quite the juxtaposition, let me tell you). So, I bought The Grid.
It’s ⅓ the height of the other foam rollers, and it’s hollow. So It actually adds to the amount of storage space in my apartment instead of taking space away!
#2 Exertube: Providing resistance to build strength.
To strengthen my shoulder and get my posture back in workable action, I bought an exertube. There are four resistances of exertube:
Yellow – Least resistance.
Green – Next up from yellow.
Red – 2nd highest resistance.
Blue – Highest resistance.
Choosing which exertube to buy was a tough choice. I was using red for one set of exercises, and green for another. I probably should have bought both, but went for Red (I was like, I’m strong! It’ll be all good!).
#3 Door Attachment: Hook up the exertube without messing up furniture.
Truth be told, as I’m buying it, I don’t fully understand the door attachment. Don’t get me wrong, I understand it theoretically. I stick the knobby end through the hinge side of my door, I loop my exertube through the loopy end, and it provides resistance for me to pull against. My lack of understanding comes from never having seen the attachment in action.
Despite my lack of concrete understanding, a conversation I had with a patient ran through my head, and I knew I needed it.
Here’s a recap of that conversation:
Patient: I need a door attachment ASAP.
Me: Not a problem! I’ll go grab one.I hand them the attachment.
Patient: I tried to make my own makeshift anchor for my exertube and ruined a piece of furniture in the process.
Me: Oh no!I make a mental note: If you ever buy an exertube, buy a door attachment too.
After work on Friday, I brought my supplies home, brought home a copy of my exercises, and jumped into my HEP! I’ll tell you all about how it went next time!
