Physiotherapy on the device

Physiotherapy on the device is a prescription for therapeutic training and an effective method to build up muscles, promote mobility and (re)create the conditions for an active everyday life. Physiotherapy on the device (also called medical training therapy) is often prescribed as a follow-up prescription after a physiotherapeutic individual treatment or manual therapy. While pain relief and the extension of the range of motion are usually the main focus at first, physiotherapy on the device is a sensible follow-up prescription to make the patient fit for everyday life again. Since physiotherapy on the machine is an individual therapy for each patient, it is suitable for patients who have little experience in sports as well as for athletes in the rehabilitation process after an injury.

Physiotherapy on the device

Depending on the facility, a small group of patients can train under the supervision of a physiotherapist. For physiotherapy on the equipment, there are usually various small devices, rope pull devices and strength training machines available. The strength training machines are designed to address a specific muscle group in isolation.

Dynamic movements are given by the machine and the patient has little chance of harming himself/herself through unintentional evasive movements. If the patient has his first appointment to start physiotherapy on the machine, his physiotherapist will instruct him in the training and an individual therapy plan will be created for him. Physiotherapy on the device should begin with a ten to fifteen minute warm up program.

Height-adjustable bicycles, treadmills, crosstrainers and upper arm ergometers are usually available for this. During the warm-up training, the patient should not experience breathing difficulties. That means he should still be able to talk to his therapist during the warm-up.

After the warm-up program, physiotherapy exercises on the device follow, which require a high level of coordination. From a scientific training point of view, it makes sense to do exercises that require high coordination before the strength training program, so that the muscles are not yet tired. These include wobble plates, balance boards and foam cushions on which you have to balance, as well as exercises on a sling trainer, exercises with different balls or even exercises with your own body weight.

These balancing exercises address the patient’s proprioception. Proprioception is the ability of the nerve-muscle system to register joint positions and to react appropriately. These exercises are especially essential in the case of ankle, knee and hip complaints as well as lower back complaints, as they are often caused by an instability problem.

In addition, these exercises are a lot of fun and quick results can be achieved, which increases motivation. After the training of the coordinative skills, the actual strength training follows in physiotherapy on the machine. Strength training on the machine is usually performed first in the strength endurance area, in which three sets of 20 repetitions each with relatively low weight are performed.

The three sets are either done with breaks on the same machine one after the other or the training is done in a circle. In circuit training in physiotherapy on the machine, after one set, the user switches to the next machine and after each set has been completed, the circuit starts all over again. For back problems, mainly torso-stabilizing exercises are used in physiotherapy on the machine.

These include the back extensor (Extensor), an abdominal machine (Flexor, Crunch), the lat pull and the rowing machine. With the back extension, the patient sits with a flexed trunk and straightens up against resistance. Usually a roller is used for this, which is adjusted approximately at the height of the shoulder blades.

The abdominal machine is the counter movement, whereby the patient makes himself round from an upright position against a resistance. The lat pull is also important for strengthening the back in physiotherapy on the machine, because this exercise targets the latissimus muscle. The latissimus extends as a broad, flat muscle over the back to the upper arm and influences, among other things, the large back fascia, a firm connective tissue net.

Since people often sit at a desk with a round back, the rowing machine is usually included in the standard program.The patient pulls a resistance towards the body and the shoulder blades are pulled towards the spine. All exercises require correct execution and a stable basic position. This is explained and corrected by the physiotherapist during physiotherapy on the machine.

Exercises for the lower extremity in physiotherapy on the machine include the leg press, knee extensor, knee flexor, hip abductor and hip adductor. For the leg press, the patient sits on a sled and presses a weight with his leg force. This involves the knee extensors and hip extensors as well as the stabilizing trunk muscles.

On the knee extensors and kine flexors, the respective muscle groups are trained separately, which can be particularly helpful after injuries and operations on the knee. These devices can also be used on one leg to avoid compensation from the uninjured side. The lat pull and rowing machine are also used to strengthen the shoulder during physiotherapy on the machine.

However, rope pulley exercises are increasingly used, since they do not prescribe rigid movements and it is primarily relevant for the shoulder to find the optimal position itself and to be able to hold it in the movement against resistance. Modern devices in physiotherapy can be adjusted by the physiotherapist during the first training session and store all information such as seat height, weight and exercise speed on a chip card. The patient can then be sure that the device is set correctly for him.

Such devices even allow eccentric training in physiotherapy. Eccentric working means that the muscle has to work especially when it is lengthened, i.e. when it brakes a movement. It has been proven that additional eccentric training has a better effect on the increase in strength than purely concentric training.

At the end of the training of physiotherapy on the machine there is always a cool-down program, which puts mobilization in the foreground. Usually floor exercises and stretching exercises are used for this purpose. Often a fascial roll is also used, with which the patient can perform a self-massage.

The patient uses his or her own body weight to move over the roll. Depending on the individual condition of the connective tissue, the first few times can be very painful. Over time, however, the patient will notice a significant improvement and find the self-massage pleasant.

Very well equipped facilities even offer special circuit training on the machine in physiotherapy, which trains the muscle in a stretched state (for example the FIVE or FLEXX program). This involves assuming a maximum stretching position, which must be kept active for a certain period of time. Such a therapy unit of physiotherapy on the machine usually lasts one hour. However, the patient should plan a little more time for the initial appointment.