Therapeutic Exercise
Moving Towards Functionality
The foundation of all treatment in Physical Therapy is movement. Guided movement specifically designed and prescribed for a patient/athlete with pathology is therapeutic exercise.
Therapeutic Exercise is a specific form of exercise and shouldn't be confused with mainstream exercise for the healthy. It is administered by a Physical Therapist a Physical Therapy Assistant or therapeutic exercise specialist through the use of manual effort, equipment or other mediums such as water. The patient's movement against resistance, with assistance, and passively are all classified as therapeutic exercises. xA patients' movement pattern relative to gravity, weight bearing verse non-weight bearing, open-chain verse closed-chain, isolated verses non-isolated, isotonic verses isokinetic verses isometric, the rate of movement, amount of resistance, and degree of intensity all shape the therapeutic exercise experience.
Traditional therapeutic exercises involve a patient working against an imposed resistance. This resistance can be of numerous types and is generally administered to: increase mobility, increase blood flow (vascularization), or increase muscular strength/endurance. However, therapeutic exercise is also utilized to enhance balance, improve proprioception, improve gait, enhance posture, improve ones cardiovascular stamina, increase flexibility, and assist in ones ability to deal with the functional demands of the day.
Functional therapeutic exercise is exercise that mimics a patient's specific work or sporting activity. Matrix exercise involves multiplaner movements often performed without sophisticated equipment and relates to more functional movements. The spectacular settings we have to provide you physical therapy in club settings allows for a diverse therapeutic exercise experience.
Conditions/Signs commonly treated with Therapeutic Exercise:
- Immobility
- Instability
- Inflammation
- Gait abnormalities
- Weakness
- Proprioception/Balance/Equilibrium
- Cardiovascular endurance
- Swelling
- Postural misalignment
- Pain
- Neuropathies
