Vital Sign Guidelines for Therapy

LifeCare Therapy asks all therapists to assess patient vital signs before the start of each therapy session and throughout the session whenever warranted (O2 dependent, orthostatic hypotension, etc.). The following guidelines are published by the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy for when therapy should be discontinued. Please note that these are guidelines only and patient's "normal" readings, signs and symptoms and physician guidelines always take precedence.

If a patient has high or low blood pressure readings or other signs of distress, it is LifeCare's policy that 911 be called. The patient can refuse transport but a full medical assessment should be done which is outside of the scope of our practice and role. Calling 911 protects both the therapist and the patient.

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