Are You Choosing the Right Corrective Exercise? Here’s What Should Come First
When a client has a movement limitation, weakness, imbalance, or difficulty performing a particular movement, it's tempting to jump immediately to a solution.
What corrective exercise should I give them?
But there's an important question that should come first:
Why is this person having difficulty with the movement in the first place?
At Pinnacle Training & Consulting Systems (PTCS), we believe understanding why you're selecting an exercise is just as important as knowing how to perform it.
Corrective Exercise Shouldn't Start With a Guess
Corrective exercise generally involves using targeted movement and exercise strategies to address identified movement limitations and help improve function.
But there isn't one universal corrective exercise for every person who appears to have the same problem.
Before choosing an approach, fitness and healthcare professionals may need to consider factors such as:
Movement patterns
Strength and mobility
Stability and coordination
Previous injuries
Current limitations
Training experience
Individual goals
Results of appropriate assessments
This is where knowledge of human movement, biomechanics, and functional assessment becomes particularly valuable.
Two Clients Can Look Similar and Need Different Approaches
Imagine two clients who both struggle with the same movement.
At first glance, the problem may look identical. But does that automatically mean the same corrective exercise is appropriate for both? Not necessarily.
Similar-looking movement challenges can have different contributing factors. Understanding the individual can help professionals make better-informed decisions about exercise selection and programming within their professional scope.
The goal isn't to memorize which exercise supposedly "fixes" which problem. It's to develop the knowledge needed to reason through the problem.
Assessment and Exercise Programming Work Together
A thoughtful process might look something like this:
Gather information
Assess within your professional scope
Consider what may be influencing the movement
Select an appropriate exercise or strategy
Observe how the individual responds
Reassess and adjust when appropriate
That requires more than a library of exercises. It requires an understanding of how the body moves and how different pieces of the movement system interact.
Build a Bigger Professional Toolbox
At PTCS, our continuing education programs help fitness and healthcare professionals deepen their understanding of subjects including:
Human movement and biomechanics
Functional assessment
Corrective exercise
Exercise selection and programming
Injury and post-rehabilitation considerations
Sports performance
Soft-tissue techniques
We offer online courses, live seminars, certifications, educational videos, and mentoring designed to connect evidence-based education with practical professional application.
Don't just learn more exercises. Learn more about why, when, and for whom you might use them.
Pinnacle Training & Consulting Systems (PTCS)
443-528-0527
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