Therapeutic activities are activities that improve your ability to do everyday activities. Therapeutic activities require a patient to use dynamic movements to perform functional tasks such as:

• Moving from a sitting to a standing position
• Walking
• Pushing a cart
• Throwing a ball
• Brushing your hair
• Opening a door
• Or other everyday activities

Therapeutic activities are functional movements that a person will need for real-life activities.

Therapeutic exercises will work on a single parameter of activity, including balance, strength, endurance, and flexibility. Therapeutic exercises are the precursors to therapeutic activities.
 
Therapeutic exercise works to improve impairments, improve muscular and skeletal functions, and maintain well-being. Exercise brings about many beneficial effects and will be far greater than the risks for most adults. For most people, exercise, including resistance, aerobic, neuromotor, and flexibility training, will improve health and physical fitness.
 
Therapeutic exercise can include:

• Agility training
• Aerobic conditioning and reconditioning
• Breathing exercises
• Body mechanics training
• Coordination exercises
• Movement pattern training
• Development activities training
• Neuromotor activities training
• Perceptual training
• Neuromuscular education or reeducation
• Range of motion exercises
• Perceptual training
• Soft tissue stretching
• Strength exercises
• Relaxation exercises
• Endurance exercises

Functional training is focused on the movements that you use regularly in daily life. It can be useful in athletic performance, everyday fitness tasks, and injury prevention. Functional movements use multiple muscle groups that work together in the body. Functional exercises look like movements that you normally do in daily life. These can be things like picking up heavy objects, carrying groceries, swinging a baseball bat, or other real-world activities. The functional trainer can help you improve these.
 
Many exercises can fit the definition of functional training, but others don’t. Workouts that focus on a specific body part are considered to be non-functional exercises. These can include bicep curls, leg presses, and calf raises. While they can improve their ability to function, their intended purpose is something else. Many non-functional exercises are designed to increase the appearance of a specific muscle, while functional exercises are meant to improve muscle movement.
 
Functional workouts will look different for each muscle group and with each exercise goal.
 
Common functional exercises include:

• Bodyweight squats
• Push-ups
• Jump squats
• Walking lunges
• Running from side to side
• Jumping or stepping onto an elevated surface
• Jumping jacks
• Movements are done as you balance your legs.
 
All of these target multiple muscles or muscle groups at the same time.

Therapeutic exercise programs are a key part of any rehabilitation program. Physical therapists have utilized these kinds of exercises successfully since the early twentieth century. Therapeutic exercises have demonstrated that they improve function and performance while reducing disability.
 
Therapeutic exercises include a variety of exercises that will work on balance, range of motion, strength, endurance, and plyometric activities. The goals are to restore movement, improve the strength and function of muscles, improve the ability to walk, prevent illness, and promote better health, fitness, and wellness. Overall, the main goal of therapeutic exercise is to improve the quality of life on a daily basis. Therapeutic exercises can decrease pain, increase range of motion and restore function. For more information, please call us or request an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 7146 Edinger Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92647. We serve patients from Huntington Beach CA, Fountain Valley CA, Westminster CA, Costa Mesa CA, Newport Beach CA, Midway City CA, and surrounding areas.