PHYSICAL HEALTH

 

 

 

Why I Need Physical Therapy

After being mostly inactive and spending a lot of time in bed, my body has lost a lot of the strength and stability it once had. Things that most people don’t have to think about—standing for a while, walking, keeping my balance or getting up from a chair—can take a lot of effort for me.

Physical therapy is helping me slowly rebuild what I’ve lost. We’re working on strengthening my legs, arms and core, improving my balance and getting my body more comfortable with movement again. The goal isn’t intense exercise or getting fit quickly. It’s about making everyday life easier and helping me become more physically independent.

We’re taking it gradually, adding exercises as I get stronger and seeing what my body can manage. Right now, even small improvements matter.

 

My Physiotherapy

Every Wednesday, my physiotherapist comes by and helps me work on rebuilding my strength, balance and mobility. She takes me through my exercises, makes sure I’m doing them correctly and adjusts things depending on how my body is coping. The rest of the week, it’s up to me to keep practising them on my own every day.

I started out with just four exercises: seated rows, bicep curls, knee extensions and hip flexions, all using a resistance band. After two weeks, we added three more: chair squats, standing knee raises and balance exercises.

The exercises might look simple, but right now they’re exactly what my body needs. The resistance-band exercises help strengthen my arms, shoulders, core, hips and legs, while the chair squats and knee raises work on the muscles I need for things like standing up, walking and moving around more independently. The balance exercise helps with stability, coordination and feeling steadier on my feet.

We’re building things up gradually rather than trying to do too much at once. It’s very much about getting my body used to moving again, strengthening muscles that haven’t been used much, and slowly making everyday movement a little easier.

 

Helping Aids

Physical therapy isn’t only about exercises. My physiotherapist also helps me find practical aids that make everyday tasks easier and allow me to use my limited energy on the things that matter.

One of those is my shower chair, which means I can sit down while showering instead of using all my strength just to stay standing. Another is a toileting aid with an extended handle, which helps me wipe independently when reaching and moving is difficult.

They might seem like small things, but they make a surprisingly big difference. They help me conserve energy, make personal care less physically demanding and give me more independence.

For me, using an aid isn’t about giving up on getting stronger. I can work on rebuilding my strength while also making life more manageable right now.