Corrective exercise
Corrective exercise is a specialized approach aimed at improving body movement and function while alleviating pain. It focuses on identifying and correcting dysfunctional movement patterns that may lead to discomfort or reduced mobility. Unlike physical therapy, which primarily addresses recovery from injuries, corrective exercise is proactive, targeting the root causes of movement issues before they escalate into more serious problems. This method incorporates a variety of movements and gentle stretches tailored to an individual's needs, often emphasizing the lower body, including the hips, knees, and feet.
The practice has its origins in the work of Moshe Feldenkrais, who developed a system focusing on awareness and natural movement following his own injury. Corrective exercise specialists, such as chiropractors, design personalized programs that help realign movement and restore functionality. Common exercises include specialized lunges, calf stretches, and foam rolling techniques, all aimed at enhancing coordination and flexibility. While beneficial for athletes experiencing pain during workouts, corrective exercise can also assist anyone facing challenges in daily activities due to movement-related discomfort. Overall, it serves as a valuable tool for maintaining physical health and preventing injuries across diverse populations.
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Corrective exercise
Corrective exercise is a specialized exercise technique. It combines knowledge of how the body is put together and moves to help a person adjust their body and movements for the purpose of relieving pain and gaining greater function. It differs from physical therapy, which is often aimed at helping a person recover function and reduce pain from trauma. The intent of corrective exercise is to identify and fix malfunctions in how the person is using their body that are causing pain or reducing their ability to move.
Background
Human beings are built for movement, but as people developed technology to help them do physical tasks, they spent less time moving and more time sitting. In some cases, the new technology that made work easier required prolonged sitting and/or repetitive movements. These stressed the body and created motion patterns that resulted in pain and restricted use of arms, legs, and other body parts.
As people recognized this problem, they began to develop forms of exercise to correct and alleviate it. Yoga, Tai Chi, and Pilates are all examples of exercises meant to help counter harmful patterns of movement or non-movement. In the middle of the twentieth century, Russian/Ukrainian-born Israeli physicist Moshe Feldenkrais (1904–1984) developed an exercise system bearing his last name. After he hurt his knee, he began looking for a way to restore function and reduce pain. An avid athlete and martial artist, Feldenkrais combined his knowledge of sports, the human body’s mechanics, and psychology to develop a plan.
Feldenkrais’ system focused on awareness during and through movement. He emphasized retraining the body to move in ways that were closer to its design and a means to restore more normal function. His program is generally considered to be the origin of the corrective exercise concept.
Overview
Corrective exercise consists of a program of movements and gentle stretches that help damaged or stressed joints, muscles, and soft tissue recover and function better. Each patient’s program is designed by a chiropractor or a medical professional known as a corrective exercise specialist. These specialists train to understand how the body is constructed and functions, as well as how to reduce or correct patterns of movement that are harmful and cause pain. They help people realign how they move in a better way.
Corrective exercise programs generally focus on the lower body, especially the hips, knees, and feet, to help restore mobility. While these programs can be developed after a person has an injury, they are not the same as physical therapy. They are most often by athletes who are experiencing pain during workouts or people who are having trouble with routine activities because of pain caused by how they move. Corrective exercise can also help fix a problem with a person’s movement before it causes an injury or pain. Examples of corrective exercises include specialized lunges to help with pain during walking, calf stretches with a balance trainer to improve coordination, and foam rollers applied to various muscles to help stretch and release them.
Bibliography
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