February 17, 2026
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The main reasons people do not complete physical therapy exercises at home is that they forget or don't have enough time, a new study finds.
If you've ever skipped physical therapy assignments, you're not alone.
A new survey suggests that as many as 75% of people in physical therapy fail to complete their exercise programs at home, inhibiting their recovery.
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"The one to three hours per week a patient spends in physical therapy pales in comparison to the 168 hours we have in a given week," Kyle Smith, a physical therapist at Ohio State Medical Center, said in a news release. "And that one to three hours patients are physically in the clinic is not enough to make big changes in the grand scheme of things."
Only 24% of the survey's 1,000 respondents said they had completed their entire physical therapy regimens at home. People 65 and older were more likely to complete them than those under 30.
The primary reason people said they didn't do their home exercises was because they forgot or they didn't have reminders. The second most common reason was not having enough time.
But Smith said physical therapists can be responsive to concerns or questions patients have about their abilities to complete assigned exercises. They may recommend adjustments that incorporate the exercises into their daily routines. This may be mean taking the stairs, parking farther away from destinations to increase the amount of walking, or doing balance and stretching exercises while completing chores.
"As physical therapists, we need to educate patients that it is going to take some work on their end to reach the goals they have to ultimately build strength and mobility and decrease the body's pain sensitivity," Smith said.
Other findings showed that:
• 28% of the people completed 75% to 99% of their exercises.
• 27% finished 50% to 74% of their exercises.
• 10% did between 25% and 49% of their exercises.
• Less than 8% finished 1% to 25% of their exercises.
• 2% did not do any of their exercises.
Last year, physical therapy faculty at Tufts University School offered the following tips for keeping up with physical therapy routines:
• Try to keep in mind why you entered physical therapy. Perhaps it's to recover from an injury, be able to play with grandchildren or be able to run or hike again.
• Be realistic about your goals, and ask your physical therapist to help you focus on a handful of key exercises.
• Talk to your physical therapist about any concerns.
