Therapeutic Exercise

What is therapeutic exercise

Therapeutic exercise is the bodily movement prescribed to correct an impairment, improve musculoskeletal function, or maintain a state of well-being.It may vary from highly selected activities restricted to specific muscles or parts of the body, to general and vigorous activities that can return a convalescing patient to the peak of physical condition.
Therapeutic exercise seeks to accomplish the following goals:

• Enable ambulation
• Release contracted muscles, tendons, and fascia
• Mobilize joints
• Improve circulation
• Improve respiratory capacity
• Improve coordination
• Reduce rigidity
• Improve balance
• Promote relaxation
• Improve muscle strength and, if possible, achieve and maintain maximal voluntary contractile force (MVC)
• Improve exercise performance and functional capacity (endurance)

Types of therapeutic exercises

Therapeutic exercises aimed at achieving and maintaining physical fitness fall into the following major categories:

• Endurance training
• Resistance training
• Flexibility training