Exercise
Fitness exercise advice,
postural to sporting
An individually designed strengthening and conditioning program is required for most patients with physical, medical and surgical conditions especially those with residual muscle atrophy (wasting/weakness). Swimming, walking, running, aerobic and weight training are excellent exercises but they could cause acute strains/sprains or chronic (long-standing) physical injuries if proper instruction is not given. Exercises could be classified into 5 main categories:
Postural exercises — including spinal and limb alignment in their strongest and most mechanical efficient positions to ensure best performance and to minimize injury. The best technique for individual sports or daily activities is included in this category.
Mobility exercises — of all involving joints to their best available range of movements
Stretching exercises — of all soft tissues and muscles to ensure best flexibility is available particularly for mechanical advantage of the muscles involved and to prevent muscle imbalance.
Strengthening exercises — for stability, endurance and power to achieve designated activities.
Sporting exercises — or other activities of daily living requiring all the above exercises as prerequisite to enhance performance and minimize injury.
Note that the sequence of beginning with the basic postural exercises before progressing step-by-step to sporting exercises is important. If time is limited, the latter exercises may have to be avoided.
Swimming is one of the most commonly prescribed exercises. While patients enjoy improving their fitness, little would they understand the importance of adequate stretches and warm-up before entering the pool. Although swimming is a relatively low risk exercise, swimmer's shoulder (rotator cuff tendonitis, shoulder tendon inflammation) is not uncommon. In severe cases, it may lead to debilitating capsulitis (inflammation of shoulder ligaments) and frozen shoulder. While advising patients to exercise for general fitness, we should give more specific instruction on those warm-up exercises as well. It does sound silly that these attached exercises are only few of the routine mobility and stretches exercises as part of the warm-up for swimming!
Luck LI
Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist
Postural exercises — including spinal and limb alignment in their strongest and most mechanical efficient positions to ensure best performance and to minimize injury. The best technique for individual sports or daily activities is included in this category.
Mobility exercises — of all involving joints to their best available range of movements
Stretching exercises — of all soft tissues and muscles to ensure best flexibility is available particularly for mechanical advantage of the muscles involved and to prevent muscle imbalance.
Strengthening exercises — for stability, endurance and power to achieve designated activities.
Sporting exercises — or other activities of daily living requiring all the above exercises as prerequisite to enhance performance and minimize injury.
Note that the sequence of beginning with the basic postural exercises before progressing step-by-step to sporting exercises is important. If time is limited, the latter exercises may have to be avoided.
Swimming is one of the most commonly prescribed exercises. While patients enjoy improving their fitness, little would they understand the importance of adequate stretches and warm-up before entering the pool. Although swimming is a relatively low risk exercise, swimmer's shoulder (rotator cuff tendonitis, shoulder tendon inflammation) is not uncommon. In severe cases, it may lead to debilitating capsulitis (inflammation of shoulder ligaments) and frozen shoulder. While advising patients to exercise for general fitness, we should give more specific instruction on those warm-up exercises as well. It does sound silly that these attached exercises are only few of the routine mobility and stretches exercises as part of the warm-up for swimming!
Luck LI
Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist