Risk v
Benefit – Keeping your exercise programme safe
There is much in the popular press about the
benefits of exercise for both physical and mental health. Many people are encouraged to take up
exercise by their doctor or physiotherapist.
On the other hand, there are many articles about the risk of injury from
exercise. For example one study showed
that over 60% of runners will pick up an injury in any one year, and another
stated that 35% of women exercising on a regular basis will have a musculoskeletal
injury.
As a fitness professional and physical
therapist I use a variety of techniques to ensure that my clients gain the
benefit and do not suffer any injury:
I encourage clients to work at their own level,
not keeping up or competing with each other.
I keep a close eye on the posture of each
client as they exercise. If there is a
postural fault when a client walks in, they will probably keep that faulty
position as they exercise. This will be
a habit that I am keen to discourage and correct with exercise.
When I spot a common postural imbalance within
a group I will add exercises to help them correct it. This could be drawing back rounded shoulders,
lengthening the neck or stretching tight hamstrings to encourage better pelvic
alignment.
At the beginning of each session I check how
everyone is feeling and how long standing injuries are progressing. I will include the best exercises to help each
person’s condition. This could be reducing range of movement to encourage
stabilization of a lax joint, work to strengthen a weak joint or stretches to
help muscles tightened up by other sports such as running or cycling.
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