Functional Exercises: Treatment, Cost and Side Effects

Functional exercises are often used by physical and occupational therapists to help patients with movement disorders. Exercises which imitate the behavior of patients at home are largely called functional exercises. These exercises can be used as a treatment method for patients who have gone through a surgery or injury. Functional training targets training individuals to resume their daily work and professional calls. For instance, if a patient’s job demanded him to carry heavy weights, functional training will target lifting heavy weights. This rehabilitation program focuses on creating exercises which will help patients in their daily lives. Simple activities like sitting, bending and walking can all be worked on with the help of functional exercises.

Functional exercises are considered to be the integral part of everything you do throughout your day. With the help of functional exercises, patients have improved their strength, balance and even the quality of their movement. Another benefit of going for functional exercises is that it tries to bridge the difference between physical therapy and home exercise program as well. This exercising method does not just focus on the injured body part of the patient but targets the person’s entire body health by trying to condition the entire body.

Functional exercises targets on making the patient working out according to the needs of his/her daily life. These exercises tend to activate the muscles and also consume energy. With the help of these exercises, our natural movement skills improve along with an enhancement in our general mobility. There are many types of equipment which can be used for functional exercises. Some of them are club bells, dumbbell, kettle bells, Swiss balls and more. There are a number of famous functional exercises which you can do yourself and see a difference in your overall movement and health.

The reverse lunges with rotation focuses on challenging your balance, core stability and mobility all together. A hip and thoracic opener on the other hand, focuses on opening the hips and helps in strengthening the core muscles. It also helps in improving the mobility in the upper spine as well. Other functional exercises like single leg dumbbell row, yoga squat, Turkish get up, side lunge with reach, overhead warm up with dumbbells, dumbbell reverse lunge and press, kettlebell snatch and more help you in getting back to your daily life healthier than before.

Since functional exercises focus on the overall health and fitness of the individual, any and everyone can do functional exercises and see a difference in their lives. However, people with an injury or surgery can especially benefit from this exercise therapy.

Anybody wishing to get fitter is eligible for the treatment of functional exercise. Children can also do some of the easier functional exercises.

There are no side effects to functional exercises as it helps in making the individual fitter and improves the quality of their life.

Doing functional exercises regularly can show a significant difference very quickly. However, continuing with the exercise and making it a habit all throughout your life will be extremely helpful as it targets on improving the quality of the individual’s life and makes the person fitter and healthier.

There is no specific recovery time estimated for physical therapy as functional exercises can be a way of life which should be followed for as long as you can.

You can take membership at a gym and start your functional exercise training. Taking a member in a gym may cost you anything around Rs 10,000-1 lakh or more as well, depending on the different facility you choose.

The results of doing functional exercises are permanent if you become regular with the activity and make sure to not expose yourself to any other injury.