Improvements in ROM, postural stability, strength, and functional mobility are significant but occur gradually after THA. Patients typically achieve 90% of their expected level of overall functional improvement by the end of the first year. During the next 1 to 2 years, patients have self-reported additional gains in strength, with improvement in function reaching a […]

The SAID principle (specific adaptation to imposed demands) suggests that a framework of specificity is a necessary foundation on which exercise programs should be built. This principle applies to all body systems and is an extension of Wolff’s law (body systems adapt over time to the stresses placed on them). The SAID principle helps therapists […]

The three elements of muscle performance strength, power, and endurance can be enhanced by some form of resistance exercise. To what extent each of these elements is altered by exercise depends on how the principles of resistance training are applied and how factors such as the intensity, frequency, and duration of exercise are manipulated. Because […]

Understanding the relationships among pathology, impairments, functional limitations, and perceived disability is fundamental to the prevention or reduction of disability. The presence of functional limitations may or may not lead to loss of independence and result in disability. Take, for example, a relatively inactive person with long-standing osteoarthritis of the knees. The inability to get […]

Regardless of the type of therapeutic exercise interventions in a patient’s exercise program, safety is a fundamental consideration in every aspect of the program whether the exercises are performed independently or under a therapist’s supervision. Patient safety, of course, is paramount; nonetheless, the safety of the therapist must also be considered, […]