When you are suffering from debilitating pain, the last thing in the world you want to think about is doing exercises. If you can’t even move without pain, you may wonder how it is possible do even consider exercising. Physiotherapy exercises, however, are an important part of recovery in any rehabilitation program. There are four main types of physiotherapy exercises: range of motion exercises, strengthening exercises, general conditioning exercises, and balance exercises.

Range of motion, or ROM, exercises concentrate on your joints and loosening tight muscles to improve the joint range. These can be performed with the help of your therapist or alone. ROM exercises are gentle stretches that will slowly increase the function of your joints. Strengthening exercises are normally done on muscles that have become weak due to under use. If you suffered a break and your muscles were immobilized due to a cast, then your therapist may recommend strengthening exercises to improve muscle strength. These exercises may also be combined with other treatments to ensure muscles remain strong to prevent further injuries.

General conditioning exercises are simple exercises with the goal to improve cardiopulmonary fitness, muscle strength, and muscle and joint flexibility. These are usually combined with other treatments to ensure your continued healing and success. Finally, balance exercises are recommended for those patients who have trouble with their balance, sometimes caused by back or leg injuries. Your therapist will work on strengthening your muscles to help improve your balance. Sometimes parallel bars are used until your muscles are strong enough to support you on your own. Exercising may be a scary thought when you are suffering from chronic pain. Our therapists are there for you every step of the way and you can rest assured they will help you through your rehabilitation process. Quite often, they will assist you right in our facility with the exercises. Sometimes you may be required to continue the treatment at home, on your own time. Remember that as your muscles get stronger, your pain will diminish. Your therapist at SquareOne Physio will work with you as long as it takes until you are pain free.