Therapeutic Exercise

Therapeutic exercise is an important part of treatment given here at Costa Vista Chiropractic.  Therapeutic exercise consists of  bodily movement prescribed to correct an impairment, improve musculoskeletal function, or maintain a state of well-being. It may vary from highly selected activities restricted to specific muscles or parts of the body.  They can be general and vigorous activities that return a patient to the peak of physical condition. Therapeutic exercise seeks to accomplish the following goals:

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• Enable ambulation
• Release contracted muscles, tendons, and fascia
• Mobilize joints
• Improve circulation
• Improve respiratory capacity
• Improve coordination
• Reduce rigidity
• Improve balance
• Promote relaxation
• Improve mood via the release of endorphin
• Improve muscle strength
• Achieve and maintain maximal voluntary contractile force (MVC)
• Improve exercise performance and functional capacity (endurance)

The last 2 goals mirror an individual's overall physical fitness, a state characterized by good muscle strength combined with good endurance. No matter which types of exercise may be needed initially and are applied to remedy a patient's specific condition, the final goal of rehabilitation is to achieve, whenever possible, an optimal level of physical fitness by the end of the treatment regimen.

Therapeutic exercises aimed at achieving and maintaining physical fitness fall into the following major categories:

• Endurance training
• Resistance training
• Flexibility training