Exercise therapy is a program of physical activities carried out in an effort to reach specific health goals. Â Its purpose is to restore normal musculoskeletal function or to reduce pain caused by diseases or injuries.
Exercise therapy enables a patient/client to return to normal musculoskeletal function or to decrease pain caused by injuries or other health problems. Exercise Therapy is a regimen or plan of physical activities designed and prescribed for specific therapeutic goals. Its purpose is to work towards the restoration of normal musculoskeletal function or to reduce pain above and below the site of injury caused by diseases or injuries through neuro reeducation, gait training and therapeutic activities.It is highly repetitive and intensive in nature, requiring time and dedication on the part of the client to encourage neuroplasticity. The therapy is provided by professionals with an educational background in exercise science and exercise physiology.
Exercise Therapists provide hands-on therapy that encourage the restoration of function, improve mobility and increase independence of clients with musculoskeletal injuries or disease resulting in paralysis. They restore, maintain, and promote overall fitness and health.
The main aims of exercise therapy are to:
Physical therapy almost always includes education and training in areas such as:
Types of Exercise Physiotherapy
Exercises that stretch the muscle fibers with the aim to increase muscle-tendon FLEXIBILITY,improve RANGE OF MOTION or musculoskeletal function, and prevent injuries. There are various types of stretching techniques including active, passive (relaxed), static, dynamic (gentle), ballistic (forced), isometric, and others.
Strengthening exercises are best known for bulking up your muscles and lift heavy weights. However, strengthening exercises have different requirements depending upon your treatment goals, sport or function. Basic muscle strength is required for joint control during your simple everyday tasks. These tasks can include static activities (such as sitting or standing posture) or dynamic activities(such as walking, running, reaching, lifting or throwing).In addition to muscle strength, which can involve power, endurance and speed of contraction, the timing and balance of muscle contractions is very important.
Strength training is basically a type of physical exercise specializing in the use of resistance to induce muscular contraction which builds the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles.
Muscles have different roles to play. Muscles are predominately fast twitch, slow twitch or endurance-based stabilization muscles. Their roles also differ and hence they should be exercised depending upon their specific characteristic.
Strength exercises make your muscles stronger. Even small increases in strength can make a big difference in your ability to stay independent and carry out everyday activities, such as climbing stairs and carrying groceries. These exercises also are called “strength training” or “resistance training.”
*[e.g.; lifting weights, using a resistance band, using your own body weight]
Endurance, or aerobic, activities increase your breathing and heart rate. They keep your heart, lungs, and circulatory system healthy and improve your overall fitness. Building your endurance makes it easier to carry out many of your everyday activities.
*[e.g.; Brisk walking or jogging, Yard work (mowing, raking, digging), Dancing]
Stability muscle exercises are generally low intensity – long duration exercises. Dynamic strengthening exercises are higher intensity (weight, speed, power) and shorter duration exercises and they vary accordingly as per patient/ clients strength and ability to exercise. Eccentric strengthening exercises are important for both speed and weight-bearing control.
Uses of Strength Training:
Polymeric Exercises: Plyometrics are exercises in which muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time, with the goal of increasing power (speed-strength). Polymetric exercises are used to improve performance by enhancing strength and endurance.
Every injury has the potential to decrease your proprioception and subsequently your balance. However, you can quickly improve both your proprioception and balance with proprioception and balance exercises. That’s where your physiotherapist is an expert and can help you. Proprioceptive and balance exercises teach your body to control the position.
A common example for proprioceptive or balance exercise is the use of a balance or wobble board for balance training. The unpredictable movements of the balance board re-educates your body to quickly react to the wobbly movements without having to think about these movements hence improving the balance & co-ordination for the patient/ client.
Exercise Physiotheraphy at Dr. Ketan Bhatikar’s SPARC