Physiotherapy Exercise Programmes

We are made to move. Here at Susan Quin Physiotherapy, I can advise and design an exercise programme for you, to help you to get better, to prevent injury, to improve your fitness and to help you to stay active.

TALK TO ME TODAY BOOK ONLINE NOW

Physiotherapy Exercise Programmes are designed to:

Promote general health, well-being and fitness
Rehabilitate after injury or ill health
Help specific sports
Prevent injury
Keep you active

Exercise and movement are a big part of your physiotherapy treatment. This includes Strengthening, Muscle Control or core stability, Balance and Coordination, Mobilising, Stretching, Aerobic, Sport Specific and Functional exercise.

After Injury, you may have stiffness, muscle wasting and weakness, pain on movement, muscle inhibition which makes you adapt or alter your movement, protective muscle tightness or tension which decreases your flexibility, loss of balance and coordination and lack of control or stability of your core muscles (e.g. gluteals, spinal or abdominals). Your everyday activities may be restricted or you may need to get back to high performance sport.

Physiotherapy Strengthening Exercises

Strengthening exercises are exercises which are designed to increase the strength of muscles. Strengthening exercises overload the muscle until the point of muscle fatigue.

This helps the muscle to grow and increases its strength. If muscles remain weak, there is a greater risk of injury.

Strengthening exercises help keep your muscles, tendons and bones healthy.

Physiotherapy strengthening exercises include:

Exercises against gravity
Exercises using your own body weight
Exercises against resistance band
Exercises with weights

Physiotherapy Core Stability Exercises

Your core muscles include the abdominal, spinal, pelvic floor and hip muscles which work together to provide stability. They act as a corset around the trunk and are important as all other movements are generated from here.

Core stability exercises improve the strength of these muscles. They stabilise your core, improve control of your movement, and decrease the strain on your body. A strong core prevents other problems like gluteal tendinopathy, tennis elbow or low back pain.

Physiotherapy Balance Exercises

Balance exercises challenge your balance to develop your balance reactions

Physiotherapy balance exercise programmes will include:

Exercises on different surfaces, e.g. soft, hard
Exercises on different bases of support, e.g. on one foot, on a wobble board
Exercises with your eyes closed
Exercises that are out of your base of support e.g. reaching
Exercises that are out of your base of support whilst moving (dynamic exercises)

Benefits of physiotherapy balance exercises:

Improve your balance
Improve body awareness
Improve your muscle reaction
Improve your ability to maintain good posture
Reduce the risk of falls
Improve function
Improve mobility
Decrease muscle imbalance

Physiotherapy Stretching Exercises

Stretching exercises help if after an injury your movement is restricted by tight muscles. Once stretched out they improve your flexibility and function. Calf, hamstring and iliotibial band (ITB) commonly get tight with low back and leg injuries.

Physiotherapy Range of Movement Exercises

Range of movement exercises are exercises that are given for a stiff joint that has restricted movement, e.g. after immobilisation or a bad sprain. They increase the movement and allow the joint to move and function properly.

Physiotherapy range of movement exercises can be:

Assisted by gravity
Assisted by yourself (e.g. you bend your knee and then push your shin with your other leg to get more movement)
Assisted by another person
Assisted by an external machine

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic or endurance exercise includes activities that increase your breathing and heart rate such as walking, jogging, swimming, biking and skipping. Physiotherapy exercise programmes include aerobic exercise.

Endurance activity keeps your heart, lungs and circulatory system healthy and improves your overall fitness. If you physically exercise you can reduce the risk of many diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Sports Specific Exercise

Sports Specific Exercise includes fitness and performance training designed specifically for each athlete. Each sport has different requirements. A rugby defender needs to be fast, a rugby forward needs to be strong and a cyclist needs endurance. Each sport has specific skills.

Functional Exercise

Physiotherapy Exercise programmes try to be as functional as possible.
Functional exercises are exercises that strengthen our everyday movements
Some examples are:
Calf raises (walking, running)
Sit to Stand (getting out of a chair)
Step ups (stairs)
Arm raises (reaching above your head)
Lunges (lighting the fire)
Sport specific

Useful Links and Resources

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT TODAY

CONTACT ME BOOK ONLINE NOW

Opening Hours

Monday: 9am-5pm
Tuesday: 9am-5pm
Wednesday: 9am-5pm
Thursday: 9am-5pm
Friday: 9am-5pm
Saturday-Sunday: Closed

Find Me

Susan Quin Physiotherapy provides Home Visits for Personalised Physiotherapy Assessment and Treatment in the Raheny, Clontarf, Killester, Artane, Fairview, Donaghmede, Clongriffin, Malahide, Portmarnock, Baldoyle, Sutton and Howth areas.

Physiotherapy Exercise Programmes