Home health physical therapist question/resources

[zduhamel]

Hey barbell medicine team,

I just found the website this week through a YouTube rabbit hole starting with Mark Rippetoe and Alan Thrall's content.

I have recently been turned on to Starting strength and have been doing their program for a month and love it.

I work in home health as a physical therapist and have always felt that we (PTs in general) are really bad about underloading people. I have tried some kettlebells on the home with my more "fit" older patients. But I was wondering where you would point someone like me that is trying to actually be good at getting people strong in their homes when they are oftentimes very debilitated.

Thanks for any help you can provide and glad to be part of this cool community.

[Nick.Suhanic]

I've found "The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40" to be a preddy gud resource.

Not gospel, but it's not bad.

[Matthew Rupiper, PT]

zduhamel,

The setting of home health has built in limitations to getting people strong in their homes. I've always thought it was an untapped resource to improving people's function, but the system doesn't allow people to work in their homes in a prolonged progressive fashion. Add to that, some health professionals are hesitant to load people (maybe out of personal fear/bias, the patient's report of pain, resistance to exercise, restrictions placed by other providers, etc etc etc.)

That being said, it you are someone that appreciates the starting strength methodology, simple tasks such as sit to stands (squats), laundry basket lifts (deadlifts), wall/counter top push-ups (press) and overhead pressing are easy to implement and progress. The good news, for such a low functioning population, just about any stimulus will result in progression.

So while it may be easy to say this population is underloaded, the question I have, is how much loading is necessary to drive an adaptation?