Some therapies provide large numbers of standard exercises which studies show people do not generally follow through with. There is good reason for this – they are generally not specific for the individual’s presenting complaint but specific for the diagnosis and prepared well ahead of time. Hence, you may get a sheet with nice pictures of people doing the exercises. This may look impressive but may not be specific for the individual’s presentation; most of the exercises that are pre-designed cannot be specific for the individual.
It is only through a thorough evaluation process that the problem can be localized and a minimal number of highly specific exercises be given for the presenting condition. As a patient progresses, these exercises change and the initial ones are no longer necessary.
In this way, ATS provides you with a highly specific, low number of effective exercises that an individual can perform on an “as needed” basis. We educate patients on the cause of their condition and ways to prevent recurrences. This education can be in the form of anatomy, physiology, ergonomics, appropriate ways to stretch, lifestyle changes, exercise approaches and self management of symptoms.
Diagnosis-Specific Education
Being educated about your condition is one of the first steps to overcoming it. This education should be concise, simple and readily understandable. At ATS, we pride ourselves in aiming to prevent recurrences of an injury. We achieve this through concise manual treatment combined with accurate education and effective home program exercise training.
Home exercises are specific to the problems of the patient and thus differ from one client to the other. We aim not to provide an endless list of exercises that may be performed for a short duration (if at all), but rather a small number of specific exercises that do not intimidate patients. The exercises empower patients to be able to self manage their symptoms and develop control over the causes and results of their problem.