What is a Corrective Exercise Specialist?
A Corrective Exercise Specialist is an expert in human movement assessment. Using a combination of knowledge on anatomy and biomechanics, a Corrective Exercise Specialist will analyse a person’s posture and movement patterns to determine the root cause of imbalances and movement compensations. They will then devise a plan to improve posture, the overall quality of movement, balance and coordination during movement and everyday life. Even if a person does not have pain or discomfort, poor movement patterns can eventually lead to overuse injuries and movement issues, so Corrective Exercise is a great preventative tool as well as rehabilitative.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find the answers to common questions about Corrective Exercise below.
More and more people are sitting at desks all day, whether at work or home. As a result, our posture is slowly deteriorating and causing muscles imbalances. Muscle imbalances alter the way we move and can cause unnecessary stress on our joints. This stress can lead to all kinds of the common discomforts that are so prevalent in today’s society such as;
- Poor posture
- Tension headaches
- Neck pain
- Back pain
- Shoulder pain
- Hip pain
- Knee pain and so on
These negative effects don’t only burden those who are not very active; athletes, painters & decorators and construction workers, for example, are also susceptible to discomfort and movement dysfunction. This is because when we put our bodies under constant stress and repeat movement patterns, imbalances can develop. By addressing posture and functional movement and the issues impeding them, especially at the feet, knees, and hips, the stress put on your body and joints can be reduced. By properly aligning the body, corrective exercises help the body to better handle the load that everyday movement puts on it and helps reduce the risk of injury.
Both Physical Therapists and Corrective Exercise Specialists help clients alleviate muscle / joint pain and improve their movement capabilities. However, the manner in which these professionals enter a client’s health and fitness journey is very different. The procedures employed when working with clients are also often dissimilar.
Physical therapists are licensed healthcare professionals whose services are typically used by clients to treat a medical diagnosis, physical trauma, or specific injury. Whereas the role of a Corrective Exercise Specialist is to analyse and evaluate a client’s posture and movement, to identify dysfunction that may affect that person’s ability to move well, exercise effectively and/or perform daily activities.
This specialised knowledge regarding the musculoskeletal system helps Corrective Exercise Specialists to design and implement Corrective Exercise programmes to assist clients in regaining optimal alignment. Corrective Exercise Specialists bridge the gap between Physical Therapy and classic personal training / generic fitness programmes by identifying and correcting underlying imbalances before they become problematic.
Understandably, your goals may be completely unrelated to Corrective Exercise – you may want to lose weight, for example, so you will be happy to learn that Corrective Exercise techniques can be used as a part of the warm up or even given as homework so the rest of the session can still be used to focus on what’s most important to you.
Corrective Exercise is a really important component of long term health and exercise longevity and is a great preventative tool against injury and pain. Since no two bodies are the same, every client is required to participate in a Postural Assessment and Movement Screening. Based on the findings, a programme will be tailor-made specifically for the individual and delivered in person or online, and via my mobile app – complete with videos and instructions. To schedule a free telephone consultation to discuss Corrective Exercise in more detail, click below to Make An Appointment.