What’s the Difference Between Inpatient Joint Rehabilitation and Outpatient?
Have you had a hip or knee replacement? If you have, you realize that intensive physical therapy is necessary to ensure you get the full movement of your new joint and enable you to return to some of the activities you once enjoyed.
While some patients opt for outpatient rehabilitation, there are actually many more benefits to inpatient joint rehabilitation– including some you may have never even considered.
We’ll review the primary differences between inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and give concrete examples of how inpatient joint rehabilitation can get you back to your optimal level of functioning faster.
What’s the Difference Between Outpatient and Inpatient Joint Rehabilitation?
Inpatient joint rehabilitation refers to physical therapy services you receive while in a facility. This facility could be a hospital, nursing home, or a skilled nursing community in Elizabethtown like Bladen East. Depending upon your individual treatment plan, you may receive rehabilitation two to three times a day.
Outpatient rehabilitation is done at your home or in an outpatient rehabilitation center. You will need to arrange transportation to get to the center. Again, the frequency depends upon your care plan, but many have physical therapy two to three times a week.
Not sure which one is right for you? Consider the benefits of inpatient joint rehabilitation. We’ve outlined a few of them below.
5 Benefits of Inpatient Joint Rehabilitation
1. You Spend More Time with Your Physical Therapist
As we mentioned earlier, you typically spend more time in physical therapy in an inpatient joint rehabilitation setting. You also have easy access to other rehabilitative disciplines such as speech therapy and occupational therapy.
2. You’ll be Free From Everyday Chores
If you have outpatient rehabilitation, you’re not free of your regular responsibilities. While you may enlist the help of friends, children or your spouse, the house still has to be cleaned, meals prepared, and dishes put away.
Do you really want to take on those tasks in addition to your physical therapy? Even if you have someone helping you with these tasks, your home environment can be full of chores that can become distractions (we’re looking at you, basket of laundry).
3. You’ll Have Experts on Hand to Help With Additional Health Issues
In addition to your joint replacement, you may have other health problems. These can include conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and even heart disease. When you’re managing multiple issues on top of rehabilitation, it’s important to have 24-hour access to a group of nurses, nursing assistants, and other healthcare professionals.
4. Access to Better Equipment
Often, inpatient joint rehabilitation centers are better equipped than outpatient centers. This means you will have access to the best rehabilitative machines whether they are treadmills, ellipticals, or exercise bikes.
5. You’ll Recover Faster
The access to better equipment, coupled with the fact that you’ll be doing rehabilitation much more often, leads to a faster recovery.
Not all of our residents at Bladen East are with us long-term. Many are undergoing some type of rehabilitation and can return home stronger and more independent.
Bladen East Offers Comprehensive Inpatient Joint Rehabilitation in Elizabethtown and the Surrounding Areas
Learning to regain skills you once had can be challenging both physically and emotionally. You’ll need to “relearn” how to do everyday activities such as putting on socks and pants. Making progress means you’ll need a team in your corner every step of the way.
At Bladen East, we treat our rehabilitation patients like family, whether they’re here for a few short weeks or a longer stay. We work with your healthcare team to ensure that you’re getting exactly what you need when you need it.
Has your doctor told you that you’re a candidate for a joint replacement? We invite you to take the next step and contact us to see how we can get you back to the activities you love faster.