Physiotherapy Treatment

Exercise Therapy

What is Exercise Therapy?

Exercise Therapy is a specialized physiotherapy treatment where the physiotherapist prescribes an exercise which involves active movement of various intensity performed by the patient. Exercise therapy is well supported by current evidence for its lasting therapeutic effects for musculoskeletal conditions.

What Does Exercise Therapy Do?

Exercise therapy is a treatment approach that uses physical activity to improve body function. When a person experiences pain during movement, they often unconsciously alter their movements, adopting incorrect postures or movement patterns. This leads to compensatory actions, where the individual relies on fewer movement patterns or exerts extra effort to perform tasks that would normally be simple. Such poor movement control can cause muscle fatigue and hinder the body’s ability to function properly.

The core of exercise therapy is to assess the patient’s movement function through a series of evaluations, and based on the findings, create a personalized exercise plan. The goal is often to improve joint range of motion, enhance muscle strength, relieve muscle stiffness, and promote overall functional recovery. Exercise therapy not only helps reduce pain but also addresses hidden posture or movement issues, often incorporating the use of exercise equipment for better results.

Benefits of Exercise Therapy

Pain Relief

exercises can be designed to lengthen chronically tight muscles or mobilize decompressed joints for pain relief.

Improve Mobility

through active movement, tight soft tissues can be lengthened to facilitate better joint gliding mechanisms. This will result in better overall joint mobility.

Adjustable Dosage

while the patient performs the exercise, there will be constant communication with the physiotherapist regarding the level of difficulty or discomfort associated with the exercise. The prescription can then be modified immediately.

Sustainable Effect

exercises are usually prescribed in a way that they can be easily replicated without significant assistance for sustainable therapeutic effects.

FAQs About Exercise Therapy

Should I expect exercise therapy every time I have a session?

It depends on the nature or severity of your symptoms. Exercise therapy is extensively utilized at our clinic as it is widely recognized by current literature for most musculoskeletal conditions. However, exercise therapy might be contraindicated in case of an acute injury with marked pain and swelling, or when cautioned against by a doctor or surgeon. The need and dosage of exercise therapy will be evaluated during the physical examination.

Can exercise therapy be conducted by other health professionals? Why should I come to physiotherapists for exercise?

Yes. Health professionals like sports therapists, strength and conditioning coaches or personal trainers all have expertise in prescribing exercises to some extent. Apart from exercise prescription, physiotherapists are trained to identify weak or unstable links within human movement which could lead to pain. Therefore, we take pride in delivering exercise therapy specifically to target root cause of your problem.

Would exercise therapy exacerbate my pain?

It certainly can. Exercises that are beyond patient’s capacity can aggravate the symptoms. A thorough clinical examination is important in determining the pain threshold and the capacity of the patient, which makes the prescription more accurate for optimal treatment effects.

Should I rest instead when I have an injury?

Not particularly. While it is advised to rest from activities that aggravate the pain, there should still be adequate movement happening surrounding the injured region if it is pain-free. Some form of strengthening exercises can promote joint mobility and facilitate healing.