Functional Exercise Anatomy and Physiology for Physiotherapists

Book excerpt: This book aims to create a bedside resource for physiotherapists and exercise specialists dealing with a defined movement problem and plan and apply functional therapeutic exercises that can be diversified for the patient. For physiotherapists, exercise is undoubtedly the greatest weapon in treating diseases and improving health. Functional exercise approaches aim to improve physical performance and activities of daily life by adapting exercise prescriptions to the movements that the individual makes frequently in daily life or in sports. The daily activities vary from person to person due to our different habits and lifestyles. Therefore, functional exercise training should be designed differently for everyone. When designing a functional exercise prescription, physiotherapists should consider previous injuries or surgeries that may limit physical activity, as well as general health, muscular strength, endurance and strength, aerobic capacity, and activities that the patient should do in daily life. The functional exercise prescription should be customized considering both the fragility of the patient due to injury or surgery, and the strengths of the patient such as sports/exercise history and healthy eating habits. The book consists of four different parts: the concepts of exercise and physical activity, exercise types, and prescriptions are presented in the first part. The second part is dedicated to musculoskeletal anatomy specific to functional exercise, while the third part explores functional exercise-specific systems physiology and illustrates the compliance of each system with exercise, basic exercise physiology information, and the evaluation and treatment of individuals who are healthy and have diseases that affect each system. Finally, the book has the part of a special topic dealing with nutrition/nutritional supplements affecting recovery in the rehabilitation process after injury or surgery and supporting physical performance during exercise/sports. This book will be of interest to physiotherapists as well as health and sports professionals.