How can you progress your clients' corrective exercise programs over time?

1 Assess and Reassess

The first step in any corrective exercise program is to assess your clients' movement patterns, identify any dysfunctions, and establish a baseline. You can use tools such as the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) or the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) to evaluate your clients' mobility, stability, and motor control. Based on the results, you can prescribe specific exercises to address the root causes of the movement issues. However, assessment is not a one-time event. You need to reassess your clients' progress regularly, at least every 4-6 weeks, and adjust the program accordingly. Reassessment will help you track your clients' improvements, identify any new or persistent problems, and ensure that the program is still appropriate and relevant.

2 Follow the Corrective Exercise Continuum

The Corrective Exercise Continuum (CEC) is a four-step model that guides you through the progression of a corrective exercise program. This includes using techniques such as self-myofascial release or massage to reduce tension and improve tissue quality in overactive muscles, static or dynamic stretching to increase the range of motion and flexibility in tight or shortened muscles, exercises such as isometrics or isolated movements to increase the activation and strength of underactive or weak muscles, and exercises such as compound movements or functional patterns to enhance the coordination and efficiency of the whole kinetic chain. You should start with the most restrictive or problematic area and progress to the next step only after your clients show improvement in the previous one; for example, if your client has limited ankle dorsiflexion, you would first inhibit the calf muscles, then lengthen them, then activate the anterior tibialis, and then integrate the ankle into a squat or lunge.

4 Incorporate Feedback and Education

Another way to progress your corrective exercise program is to incorporate feedback and education into your sessions. Feedback is the information that you give to your clients to help them improve their performance, correct their errors, and reinforce their learning. Feedback can be verbal, visual, or tactile, and it can be given before, during, or after the exercise. You should use feedback that is specific, timely, and constructive, and that matches your clients' preferences and needs. Education is the information that you give to your clients to help them understand the purpose, benefits, and principles of the corrective exercise program. Education can be verbal, written, or multimedia, and it can be given before, during, or after the session. You should use education that is clear, concise, and relevant, and that empowers your clients to take responsibility for their own movement health. Feedback and education will help you build rapport and trust with your clients, enhance their motivation and adherence, and foster their self-efficacy and autonomy.

5 Monitor and Modify

The final way to progress your corrective exercise program is to monitor and modify it based on your clients' responses and outcomes. Monitoring is the process of observing and measuring your clients' performance, behavior, and feedback during and after the sessions. Monitoring will help you evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and suitability of the program, and identify any signs of progress, regression, or plateau. Modifying is the process of changing or adapting the program based on the results of the monitoring. Modifying will help you optimize the program, address any issues or challenges, and prevent boredom or overtraining. You should monitor and modify the program regularly, using both objective and subjective indicators, such as movement tests, pain scales, exercise logs, or client satisfaction surveys.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?