Answers to go: what are ‘corrective exercises’ and how can they help?
All muscles in our body have an ideal length which is specific to their movement requirements. When this length is altered due poor posture from excessive computer and mobile phone use or from a specific injury the results lead to muscular imbalances altering their length-tension ratio. This not only leads to pain and movement dysfunctional but can also effect the joint leading to degeneration. The image provides an illustration of the injury cycle.
Corrective Exercise Programming can help stop this cycle by addressing the cause of pain and injury instead of only addressing the symptoms. But how does this work? The health or fitness professional will typically use various assessments to identify potential muscle imbalances after which a program is designed to help restore the proper length-tension relationships. It is important to recognize that the success of corrective exercises programs is dependent on session frequency and the duration of the program. It takes consistency and time to restore optimal muscle function, improvements might only be noticed after 6 – 8 weeks of training.
Questions, feedback, suggestions? Inbox me at rikeaprea@webexercises.com
About the author: Friederike is the VP of Business Development and Marketing Strategy at WebExercises. She previously worked for Reebok, BMW, and the Adidas Group in the US and Asia and is an ACE certified personal trainer and NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist.