The role of exercise:
Exercise and staying active is vital for both physical and mental wellbeing. It can help keep your bones, joint and muscles strong and healthy. Adults should get moving and sit less throughout their day. It is recommended that Australian adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate and 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week. However, many Australians do not get the recommended amount of physical activity for their wellbeing. Approximately, 2 in 3 Australians are overweight or obese, this accounts for 12.5 million adults! It has been well documented that sedentary lifestyle factors including specific occupations that require prolonged sitting can lead to many musculoskeletal injuries.
Why physio’s prescribe exercise?
There are many reasons why a physiotherapist will prescribe a rehabilitation exercise to help you recover from your injury. Exercise can strengthen appropriate muscles to help you move pain-free and enjoy your hobbies again. When a body part is injured, it often gets sensitized because the brain perceives the injured area as a threat. Exercise can help turn down this hypersensitive nervous system to reduce pain and improve your quality of life.
Exercise prescription:
The amount of repetition and sets of an exercise depends on if we want to achieve muscular strength, endurance or power. The American College of Sports Medicine (hyperlink) recommends the following exercise dosage to achieve results:
- Muscular strength: the ability of a specific muscle group to exert maximal force. 8-12 repetition for 3 sets are the ideal dosage to build strength.
- Muscular power: Power is the maximal amount of work that can be performed at a period of time. The ability of a specific muscle group to work at its highest power output during a movement is referred to as muscular power e.g., jumping, hopping and sprints. 3-6 repetitions for 3 sets are the ideal dosage to build power.
- Muscular endurance: the ability of a specific muscle group to repeatedly exert force over a sustained period of time. 10-25 repetitions for 2-4 sets are the ideal dosage to build endurance.
What makes physiotherapy unique to other specialties?
You might be wondering what makes a physiotherapist different to an exercise physiologist or a personal trainer? We are all prescribe exercises, right? Physiotherapist work across all aspects of the injury timeframe (acute, sub-acute, chronic stages). Physiotherapists provide a detailed assessment to provide you with a diagnosis and prognosis. Physiotherapist will provide soft tissue techniques, mobilization and other agents to help facilitate recovery. The rehabilitation exercises are aimed to reduce pain, bruising, swelling and restrictions in movement.
Early treatment is vital for a shorter recovery time and better outcomes. Book a physiotherapy appointment today! Follow Myphysio Instagram to learn more about physiotherapy exercises and how you can apply it to improve your quality of life.