The Role of Exercise Equipment in Physical Rehabilitation Programs

Having one’s life interrupted by an injury can be an incredible hardship, especially if there is a lengthy rehabilitation process ahead. However, the impact exercise can have on an individual in these circumstances cannot be understated, as it works to restore physical and emotional wellbeing in a multitude of ways. As a leading provider of fitness equipment assembly and repair, our team understands just how important exercise equipment is for physical rehabilitation programs as well as why outfitting your establishment with the right machines is imperative in not only the success of your operations but the rehabilitation of your patients.

How Exercise Factors Into Physical Rehabilitation

Before exploring what specific pieces of equipment can help patients recover, let’s dive into just some of the benefits exercise brings to the table when it comes to the rehabilitation process:

• Strength: A critical aspect of recovery is keeping muscles strong — and not only at the site of the injury. Other body parts may have to work harder to compensate for an injury, resulting in muscle strain, aches, and pains. Physical rehabilitation exercises are designed to strengthen muscles and promote holistic healing.
• Pain Relief: When one begins engaging in physical exercise for rehabilitation, they may experience discomfort. However, as progress is made, physical therapy can reduce the pain.
• Balance: When healing from an injury, the last thing a patient needs to do is slip and fall. Balance can be a challenge, especially early on in the rehabilitation process. However, with the help of strength training, mobility aids, and a dependable program, balance can be restored quicker.

Gym Equipment for Physical Rehabilitation

Equipment used for physical rehabilitation can range from the simple and low-tech — such as an exercise ball — to heavy-duty and motorized — such as steppers. While no two physical rehabilitation programs are identical, here are some of the best pieces of equipment to incorporate across the board:

• Treadmill: While excellent for cardiovascular work, physical therapists also find them useful in understanding a patient’s range of motion, posture, and gait.
• Stationary bicycles: This is a terrific low-impact fitness tool that can assist with flexibility, cardiovascular health, and pain symptoms. With stationary bikes, many can continue to exercise as they heal from injuries that otherwise limit mobility.
• Pulley devices: A simple shoulder pulley can be invaluable to those recovering from a frozen shoulder, rotator cuff surgery, stroke, or mastectomy.

Our technicians care about ensuring you can help patients to the best of your ability — and faulty or otherwise less-than-stellar gym equipment will only hinder the kind of impact you can make. For more information about how Fitness Machine Technicians can help keep your physical rehabilitation program effective and empowering with our comprehensive solutions — including equipment installation, treadmill assembly service, and beyond — get in touch with us today!