Almost all of my therapy cases start with patients lying in bed. It’s true—most people who come into the hospital or a skilled nursing facility are on their backs when I first make contact. Their supine position is actually optimal for me because I can do a deep evaluation of their bed mobility skills in addition to everything else I plan to check. Conducting the evaluation early in the morning makes it even easier, because I can get a feel for how they perform when their bodies are stiff from sleep.
By the time we finish the rolling, scooting, and sliding portions of the evaluation, the patients have already had a good workout before they place their first foot on the floor. In short order, it’s common to see people vastly increase their ability to perform bed mobility, and their gains in muscular strength are very apparent.
