Have you ever been asked by your treating therapist to do a particular stretch or exercise after your session as a “do-at-home” activity? One of the first questions I will ask a new client when they tell me that they have seen a Physiotherapist, Chiropractor or Exercise Physiologist is, “Did they give you any exercise or stretches to do?” The most common answer is ” Umm . . . . yeah?” My next question is “Did you do them?”
As specialists, the reason we give you some sort of ‘homework’ is to help build on the advancements made during your treatment and to enhance your return to your pre-injury state. On a psychological level this also gives YOU a stake in your recovery and a faster return to normal (whatever that is in Covid times!)
Some of the most common injuries that we give ‘Homework’ for are:
- Shin Splints – calf stretching
- Plantar Fasciitis – more calf stretching as well as some eccentric loading
- Low back pain – hamstring stretches, hip flexor stretches, gluteal strengthening, core strengthening (dependant on root cause of the issue)
- Shoulder pain – upper back strengthening
- Knee pain – specific quad strengthening (again cause dependent)
- Arthritis – “use it or lose it!”
If you are suffering from a long-term problem, recent surgery, or any of the myriad of chronic diseases, rehabilitation and regular exercise is the key to recovery and maintaining a healthy body/mind. It is critical to follow the advice of your surgeon after any surgical procedure to return to your pre-injury state. If you suffer from a chronic disease there are many exercise programs available that are run by experts in their field for things like Parkinson’s Disease, diabetes, cancers, osteoporosis.
Our approach at Muscle Tone is to find what you do to maintain your health whether that be yoga, pilates, martial arts, regular gym sessions etc and we tailor your corrective exercise to your regular sessions.
