Injuries to the muscles and other soft tissues of the body often require a course of physical therapy in order for the patient to regain normal body movement. Therapeutic exercise is an important component in most physical therapy regimens and it can effectively aid in not only easing pain, but also restoring range of motion, balance, strength, and flexibility.
The physical therapist will evaluate the patient's condition by conducting an assessment of his or her ability to move, and taking a medical history. This information will be used to formulate a specific course of exercises which become progressively more challenging as the patient improves. Once the pain is overcome, the focus will be on restoring the body's strength, endurance, and flexibility.
Exercises in a physical therapy program are classified by the type of movement and its effect on the body. Passive exercise applies an external force to the affected muscles, often by way of a mechanical device such as a continuous passive motion unit or manually by the therapist, these help to restore normal motions to the joints. Active exercises are those which require the patient to the work the muscles at least somewhat, possibly with assistance at first, and help improve neuromuscular control and joint movement.
There are other type of activities designed to build endurance and strength in damaged muscles. Once the patient has progressed to the point where he or she can safely carry out range-of-motion and flexibility exercises, it's time to begin strength and endurance training. Gradually increasing resistance is added steadily so the body can respond by naturally gaining strength in the tendon, ligaments, muscles, and bones.
Strength exercises are classified as static or dynamic. A static activity does not require movement of the joint, the tension and resistance are equal, and the muscle fibers remain the same length throughout the movement. The angle is the key aspect which makes the difference in this case, so patients are advised to vary the angle of each set, making sure they hold it for several seconds each time, as this is what builds strength.
Dynamic exercises differs in that it does involve movement of the joints and muscles, in particular concentric and eccentric movement, which refers to a repeated shortening and lengthening of the muscle fibers that produces force and develops strength. This type of exercise can be grouped into isotonic, isokinetic, variable-resistance, and manual movements.
Variable-resistance and manual resistance exercises work based on the principle that the muscles produce a limited force when the joints are positioned in extremes of the range of motion. The main difference is that the latter involves the therapist manually applying resistance, and the former relies on the use of a machine that accounts for proper joint alignment and applies resistance relative to force. With isotonic movement, the muscles are lengthened by external force which imposes a change on the joint's angle, this is seen with many weight machines, ankle weights, and free weights.
Isokinetic exercises are carried out with a fixed speed and equal muscle force and resistance. Machines to generate this type of movement deliver force to match the user's level of muscle resistance and often have adjustable settings in terms of concentric and eccentric actions with varying velocities.
The physical therapist will evaluate the patient's condition by conducting an assessment of his or her ability to move, and taking a medical history. This information will be used to formulate a specific course of exercises which become progressively more challenging as the patient improves. Once the pain is overcome, the focus will be on restoring the body's strength, endurance, and flexibility.
Exercises in a physical therapy program are classified by the type of movement and its effect on the body. Passive exercise applies an external force to the affected muscles, often by way of a mechanical device such as a continuous passive motion unit or manually by the therapist, these help to restore normal motions to the joints. Active exercises are those which require the patient to the work the muscles at least somewhat, possibly with assistance at first, and help improve neuromuscular control and joint movement.
There are other type of activities designed to build endurance and strength in damaged muscles. Once the patient has progressed to the point where he or she can safely carry out range-of-motion and flexibility exercises, it's time to begin strength and endurance training. Gradually increasing resistance is added steadily so the body can respond by naturally gaining strength in the tendon, ligaments, muscles, and bones.
Strength exercises are classified as static or dynamic. A static activity does not require movement of the joint, the tension and resistance are equal, and the muscle fibers remain the same length throughout the movement. The angle is the key aspect which makes the difference in this case, so patients are advised to vary the angle of each set, making sure they hold it for several seconds each time, as this is what builds strength.
Dynamic exercises differs in that it does involve movement of the joints and muscles, in particular concentric and eccentric movement, which refers to a repeated shortening and lengthening of the muscle fibers that produces force and develops strength. This type of exercise can be grouped into isotonic, isokinetic, variable-resistance, and manual movements.
Variable-resistance and manual resistance exercises work based on the principle that the muscles produce a limited force when the joints are positioned in extremes of the range of motion. The main difference is that the latter involves the therapist manually applying resistance, and the former relies on the use of a machine that accounts for proper joint alignment and applies resistance relative to force. With isotonic movement, the muscles are lengthened by external force which imposes a change on the joint's angle, this is seen with many weight machines, ankle weights, and free weights.
Isokinetic exercises are carried out with a fixed speed and equal muscle force and resistance. Machines to generate this type of movement deliver force to match the user's level of muscle resistance and often have adjustable settings in terms of concentric and eccentric actions with varying velocities.
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