Flexibility Unleashed: Therapeutic Exercises for Injury Recovery and Improved Flexibility
Go From “Stiff” to “Swift” With Exercises for Injury Recovery and Flexibility
Recovering from an injury can disrupt your routine and alter your body’s movement patterns. If you’ve noticed tight or stiff muscles during recovery, boosting your flexibility with physical therapy-based exercises for injury recovery may be the solution you need!
At Helix Physical Therapy and Chiropractic, our primary focus is to help you move and feel better. Our physical therapists specialize in therapeutic exercises, including range of motion and flexibility-enhancing stretches, and joint-supporting strength exercises that can speed up your recovery.
Call Helix Physical Therapy and Chiropractic today to schedule your appointment and learn how therapeutic exercises for injury recovery can work for you.
What Are Therapeutic Exercises For Injury Recovery?
Therapeutic exercise is prescribed movement to correct impairments, restore function, and promote well-being. It offers numerous benefits, including improved function, quality of life, and overall health, and it can speed up your recovery time.
Therapeutic exercise mainly falls into three categories:
- Range of Motion (ROM): Restoring joint mobility with a range of motion exercises is often the first stage of rehabilitation. Our physical therapists will assess your specific ROM limitations and develop a plan to improve your mobility utilizing the three types of ROM exercises.
- Passive Motion – If you are unable to, or not permitted to, move your joint(s) on your own, your physical therapist will apply manual therapy to cause join movement for you
- Active-Assisted Motion – Your physical therapist will help you perform the movements and exercises
- Active Motion – Exercises performed by the patient themselves
- Strengthening: Therapy designed to activate muscles to build strength and endurance using progressing exercises such as:
- Contraction and sustained engagement of targeted muscle groups without external resistance
- Resistance training through activities such as weight lifting, resistance band workouts, and bodyweight exercises
- Endurance and Aerobic Exercises: Exercise that helps your heart and lungs work better, which enables you to exercise for more extended periods, such as biking or brisk walking.
As you progress, the focus shifts to flexibility, where deliberate, controlled exercises are performed slowly, typically in 15 to 30-second intervals, to increase the flexibility in tendons and muscles. Two common forms of flexibility training are “static” and “dynamic” stretching.
- Dynamic stretching means gradually expanding your range of motion through repeated movements until you reach the full extent. This form of stretching is commonly linked with warm-ups before sports activities and exercise routines, as well as in Yoga practices.
- Static stretching involves holding a position for a period of time, such as reaching to touch your toes. This type of stretching is most effective when done after a workout or other exercises while your body is still warmed up.
What To Expect From Our Therapeutic Exercise Program
Our physical therapists will begin your treatment with a comprehensive evaluation of your medical history and current condition and answer any questions you have.
Next, we’ll create a personalized program tailored to your specific needs and goals so you can recover from your injury, restore your mobility and strength, boost your flexibility, and accelerate your journey to increased function and activity.
The Helix Physical Therapy and Chiropractic team of highly skilled physical therapists are experts in therapeutic exercises for injury recovery. We’ll have you moving swiftly again in no time!