Manual therapy and advanced manual therapy, when applied correctly, will increase a person’s potential for healing and improved function through structural changes. These manual therapies will release tension patterns in fascia and take stress off joints, therefore, giving the patient improved movement and flexibility. A customized therapeutic exercise program with specially tailored exercises is what allows a patient to attain that functional potential that was afforded through manual therapy.

If a patient presents with low back pain and stiffness. Most practitioners would focus on the general weakness of the low back, pelvis, abdominal complex. This is acceptable but will not yield full recovery. A physical therapist must first use advanced manual therapy techniques to realign joint surfaces, so they work properly without “wear and tear,” and eliminate soft tissue tension patterns causing pulls and strains.  Only after this is done, can a good customized therapeutic exercise program benefit the patient maximally.  Now that the proper alignment has been attained one can strengthen and stabilize that proper alignment instead of stabilizing a poor alignment.  If one stabilizes a poor alignment there will be re-injury next week, next month, or next year.

Employing a customized exercise program will address poor stability, muscle imbalances and weaknesses, coordination disturbances, and general functional weakness. Patients will be stronger, have more stability and balance, improved coordination, improved gait, and greater function to achieve their goals.

We develop therapeutic exercise programs for the everyday person and the elite level athlete. By investigating and evaluating muscle imbalances, abnormal movement patterns, gait patterns, muscle weakness, lack of stability, and ataxia we can build a specific exercise program to strengthen and solve abnormal movement patterns.

Customized exercise programs are also essential for improving balance and should be a focus for someone that is elderly or has a fall risk. A good exercise program will decrease fall risk significantly.

Our physical therapists have extensive training in prescribing individualized one-on-one customized therapeutic exercise programs. We give one on one instruction and feedback throughout the implementation. We graduate the patient to a more and more skilled level of strength/stability and understanding. Our physical therapists have had success with elderly patients to elite athletes. For more information, Contact us at Dynamic Health Physical Therapy in the Simsbury, Avon, Canton, Farmington, CT area.