Home Exercise Programs for Musculoskeletal and Sports Injuries

Book excerpt: Home Exercise Programs for Musculoskeletal and Sports Injuries: The Evidence-Based Guide for Practitioners is designed to assist and guide healthcare professionals in prescribing home exercise programs in an efficient and easy to follow format. With patient handouts that are comprehensive and customizable, this manual is intended for the busy practitioner in any medical specialty who prescribes exercise for musculoskeletal injuries and conditions. The most central aspect of any therapeutic exercise program is the patient’s ability to perform the exercises effectively and routinely at home. This book is organized by major body regions from neck to foot and covers the breadth of home exercises for problems in each area based on the current literature. Each chapter begins with a brief introduction to the rehabilitation issues surrounding the types of injuries that can occur and general exercise objectives with desired outcomes, followed by a concise review of the specific conditions and a list of recommended exercises. The remainder of the chapter is a visual presentation of the exercises with high-quality photographs and step-by-step instructions for performing them accurately. The most fundamental exercises to the rehabilitation of each specific region are presented first as the essential building blocks, followed then by condition-specific exercises that advance throughout the chapter. Using this section, the healthcare practitioner can provide patients with handouts that require little to no explanation and can customize the program and modify instructions to fit individual patient needs and abilities – with confidence the handouts will be a valuable tool to help patients recover successfully from musculoskeletal and sports injuries. Key Features: Concise evidence-based guide for practitioners who prescribe home exercise programs for musculoskeletal and sports injuries Presents foundational, intermediate, and more advanced exercises for each body region and condition based on the current literature to achieve desired outcomes Highly visual approach with over 400 photographs demonstrating each exercise effectively with step-by-step instructions Each chapter includes evidence-based recommendations and goals for advancement of the exercise program Includes digital access to the ebook for use on most mobile devices and computers