Rehabilitation Programme

Within the three stages of rehabilitation your physiotherapist at NorthWest Physio + will be looking at the following exercise phases to make sure that your recovery is smooth and avoids regression and further injury.

1. Restoring muscle strength - The first phase is to progressively load the damaged (pathological) tissue (e.g. ligament, tendon or muscle) to restore its’ strength (often referred to as tensile strength). This is a gradual process because if the load is too great for the damaged tissue to withstand, it will fail and healing will be back to square one. We are guided by your reaction. Pain felt during the exercise or the following day may mean that the load during the exercise needs to be reduced.

​2. Restoring muscle endurance and power - Endurance is the muscles ability to work repeatedly without fatiguing. Muscle endurance is also important for the body’s core muscles which support the pelvis and spine and as their name suggests, they provide core strength whilst performing various exercises.
Muscle power is the ability to produce force quickly. In order to improve muscle power it is essential to have a good base of muscle strength.

3. Improving flexibility - Flexibility is the the ability to extend or stretch without breaking. Usually used to describe muscles it can also be used to describe a movement involving a number of muscles (e.g. bending forwards in standing).
When improving flexibility it is very important to have improved muscle  strength at the same time.  If a muscle gets “longer” but not stronger then it will be weak in the additional flexible range and be prone to injury.

4. Improving Proprioception & balance- Proprioception is the body’s ability to detect movement and soft tissue stress and trigger a reaction to prevent injury e.g. reaction when stepping off a kerb to prevent an ankle sprain.
Proprioception is often weakened following an injury and needs to be re-trained.  Proprioception can be improved by performing exercises to improve balance and reaction times of the muscles surrounding the joints.

5. Functional exercises - Functional exercises are related to the sport or activity you are returning to. There are a number of generic exercises that can be applies to multiple sports, which should be performed in the early stages of rehabilitation. However, to effectively and efficiently return to your particular sport it is important to perform exercises that replicate activities and movements in that particular sport when performing late stage rehabilitation.

To find out more about how we can help you with your injury rehabilitation programme get in touch with us at
​NorthWest Physio + for friendly, helpful and professional advice.
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​Call 09 412 2945 or leave your details on our contact page or make an appointment via our online booking service.