5 Rehabilitation Equipment Must-Haves

• Tweet
• Pin It

Are you a physical therapist looking to open a new clinic? Well then, you’ve got a lot on your mind. There’s so much that goes into providing your patients with the best care, and on top of that, there’s all the worry of running a business. You’re thinking about money, staff, location, marketing and all the nuts and bolts you need to arrange before you can get around to doing what you do best: helping people get better. And oh yeah, you also have to furnish your new office. You’ll need desks, chairs, shoulder pulleys, an exercise rail system, among so much else.

Fortunately, the American Physical Therapy Association’s Private Practice Section has you covered with a comprehensive checklist of things you might need. Anatomical posters? Check. Coffee maker? Check. Skeletons? Check. They also offer advice on how to decide on appropriate, affordable rehabilitation exercise equipment:

1. Create a list of diagnoses, joint problems and patient populations you expect to see most in your new practice. Then, create a list of equipment and furniture that will help you treat the categories in the first list.
2. Rate the importance of each item in your second list on a scale of 1 to 5.
3. Rate the versatility of items on this list on a scale of 1 to 5.
4. After determining your budget, select the items versatile enough to cover as many of your essential, secondary and tertiary needs as possible.

Must-Have Rehabilitation Exercise Equipment

There’s no one standard list of items that fits the needs of every clinic. Depending on a practice’s focus, following the advice above can still produce some widely varying lists. But there are a few items that seem to come up time and again due to their versatility:

Resistance Tubing

When it comes to strength training, there are very few things more versatile than resistance tubing and bands. They’re also easy on the budget, highly portable and easy to tuck into an out-of-the-way place when not in use. Keep a variety of resistance levels available for patients of varying fitness levels. For even more efficient patient work and training, consider pairing resistance tubing with an exercise rail system.

Exercise Balls

Balance balls, Swiss balls, physioballs, whatever you call them, these are great multi-functional devices for any clinic. Use them for exercises and stretches. Since they’re so inexpensive, patients who learn to work with exercise balls in the clinic can easily repeat these exercises on their own balls at home.

Stationary Bicycle

A good stationary bike might seem expensive when you’re on a budget, but it’s a durable item that will see a lot of use. Patients with limited mobility can use stationary bicycles for exercise, and they’re great low-impact tools for cardiovascular health, flexibility and even pain management.

Treadmill

Another great piece of equipment for cardiovascular exercises, the treadmill is also valuable for analyzing a patient’s gait, posture and range of motion.

Pulley Devices

Speaking of range of motion, a simple shoulder pulley is invaluable for patients dealing with rotator cuff surgery, stroke, mastectomy and frozen shoulder. And if you remember to equip your office with an exercise rail system, the shoulder pulley will be even easier to use. There’s a lot more you might need in your new office, from treatment tables to goniometers, but this list should help get you started and give you a few things to consider. Let PrePak Products help you on your way to becoming a successful and full-service physical therapist office.

• Tweet
• Pin It