objectively measuring response to rehab

We’ve been using KER ClockIt Sport to objectively measure and track Mr P’s rehab walk sessions.⁣⁣
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The app can be downloaded for free, all you need to do is create an account with KER.
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It allows us to track speed, distance and time spent in each gait. It evens records altitude and weather, including temperature, humidity, pressure and sky conditions!⁣⁣
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And best of all it can connect with a heart rate monitor so you can measure the cardiovascular intensity of your sessions.⁣⁣
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It’s a great tool in regular training, but also really useful in rehab as it provides us with a measure of progress. For example, if we see that speed and distance are increasing for the same time period, this suggests that Mr P is coping well with the exercise and we can look at progressing his program. Equally if we see a pattern emerging of decreased speed or distance over time it may suggest we need to drop back a little on the intensity of our sessions. The weather conditions are super helpful too, as that can provide us with valuable information as to how he is coping in different conditions, and allow us to adjust sessions accordingly.⁣⁣

​Measuring cardiovascular fitness is often seen as important in disciplines such as Eventing or Racing, but it can play a really important role in rehabilitation as well.

We’ve been measuring Mr P’s heart rate during his walk sessions and are about to start assessing how the addition of different elements into his training affects his heart rate. While we can’t obviously use faster gaits like trot and canter just yet to get his heart rate up, we can try different low load exercises to see if we can start to get him working a little harder in an effort to increase his cardiovascular fitness.
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