Order of Exercises
Successful corrective exercise programs must address a client’s imbalances and deviations in a logical and sequential format. Structures that have been damaged and stressed must first be allowed to rest and regenerate before any attempts at retraining through stretching or strengthening can be made (Price and Bratcher 2010). Therefore, when designing a corrective exercise program, use activities that achieve the following goals in the order listed:
- Let inflamed joints rest while incorporating techniques for rejuvenating and regenerating the fascia, muscles, and tendons.
- Increase blood flow and range of movement.
- Strengthen the muscles and challenge the nervous system.
In other words, every corrective exercise program should begin with self-myofascial release techniques, then progress to stretching, and ultimately advance to strengthening exercises.
- Self-myofascial release: The term myofascial comes from “myo” meaning muscle and “fascial” referring to fascia. This technique of self-massage is used to restore and rejuvenate soft tissues that have become adversely affected by chronic musculoskeletal imbalances (Rolf 1989; Myers 2008; Travell and Simons 1992). Self-myofascial release also helps clients feel better by reducing painful symptoms that accompany excessive soft tissue stress. Always start each exercise session and program with some form of self-massage that clients can also perform between sessions at home, at the office, or anywhere they feel completely comfortable.
- Stretching: As the soft tissue structures become more fluid and healthy with the regular performance of self-myofascial release exercises, the next step in the corrective exercise process is to increase flexibility of the muscles and fascia and to increase the range of motion of the joints. Many different types of stretching exercises can be used to increase safe ranges of motion and retrain movement in those parts of the body that have become dysfunctional because of chronic musculoskeletal imbalances (Walker 2011).
- Strengthening: Once a client has begun to improve the condition of specific soft tissue structures, add strengthening exercises to the program. These will fortify the soft tissue structures and will increase the client’s confidence about movements that were previously difficult. Strengthening exercises are also used to reeducate the client’s body so it can eliminate musculoskeletal imbalances (Price and Sharpe 2009).
The appropriate application and progression (or regression, when appropriate) of self-myofascial, stretching, and strengthening exercises is vital to the design of corrective exercise programs. What are some mobility restrictions or painful positions that you currently have?
