When suffering from an acute injury or dysfunction, we often do not give our body the proper healing and recovery time it needs—resulting in improper body mechanics and function. Even after muscle tissue has healed, some injuries can leave behind baggage, or muscle imbalances. Muscle imbalances can then lead to poor movement and further injury, a repetitive cycle. Corrective exercises are an important part of modern chiropractic treatment methods because they can relieve symptoms of pain, restore proper movement and improve performance.

What are Corrective Exercises? 

Corrective exercises are a series of exercises designed to restore and maintain muscle imbalances, body mechanics and posture. Corrective exercises can include stretching, moving joints through different ranges of motion, applying force and using tools such as medicine balls and foam rollers. When beginning corrective exercises, it’s important to start at a level most appropriate to the injury and then steadily advance to regaining the body’s normal function. The corrective pattern sequence of each exercise includes:

1. Regain Mobility

2. Establish Stability

3. Facilitate Full Range of Motion

4. Develop Strength

5. Apply Force

6. Assess Performance

What Conditions Do They Treat?

Corrective exercises can be performed to treat damage from past injuries and to strengthen muscles in order to prevent future injuries from occurring. Most people who experience an injury do not take the proper time to heal so other parts of the body begin to compensate for that injury. For example, if you’ve previously sprained your ankle, you could incur another injury such as hip pain due to improper movement patterns. After using corrective exercises to treat the muscle dysfunction, your body’s proper range of motion will be restored leading to improved stability, mobility and movement patterns.

Who Can Benefit from Corrective Exercises?

As people shift toward more sedentary lifestyles, corrective exercises play an important role in how doctors of chiropractic address injuries. Functional rehabilitation supplemented with traditional chiropractic treatment methods provide overall better results for patients. Chiropractic physicians often use screen tests that assess movement patterns, mobility and stability. An effective screen will have scoring criteria based on scientific research, such as the Functional Movement Screen. Any imbalance or dysfunction detected during the screen can then be corrected. Whether you have recently suffered an injury, you’re an athlete or you have trouble with your body’s range of motion, corrective exercises can provide healing.

Performing unnecessary corrective exercises can negatively alter movement patterns that don’t need to be changed, so it’s important to seek chiropractic and professional care. Make an appointment with us today so we can lead you on the path to complete physical wellness!