NASM CES Chapter 1: Rationale for Corrective Exercise

If you have not yet signed up for the NASM CES certification, receive a big discount here.

Get your copy of the NASM CES exam cheat sheet. It helps immensely for studying for the exam.

Make sure to check out Trainer Academy for premium NASM CES study materials. They will reduce study time by 50% and have an exam pass guarantee. Read my full review on them here. You can save $100 on their MVP study system with the code: PTPSUB

Program Objectives:

• Relate the main concepts in anatomy, physiology, and human movement to the corrective exercise ideas.
• Find the attributes and the rationale for programming corrective exercise.
• Find some of the scopes of practice and referral strategies used in allied health professions. 
• Look at the proficiency of movement using the many methodologies of assessment. 
• Make programs that use individualized movement and exercise. 
• Use a spectrum of corrective tools, protocols, and other modalities aligned to client needs and goals.
• Show effective communication and coaching with specific techniques for maximizing adherence and engagement.
• Communicate with clients to get the best recovery strategies for their own wellness.

Earning Your Credential

For the final exam, we need to know some important information:

A passing score is of 70% or more

There are 100 multiple choice questions

We have 90 minutes to complete the test

You have 3 maximum attempts to take the test

The exam expires one year following the purchase

Chapter Goals:

• Find the main physical conditions and the factors of lifestyle that the average client must consider. 
• Define corrective exercise.
• Describe the rationale used for the corrective exercise.
• Please find the results from normal physical conditions and lifestyle factors and their effects on the kinetic chain.
• Find the scope of practice and the parameters of that with the continuum of client care. 
• Give a summary of the phases used in the corrective exercise continuum. 

The rationale for Corrective Exercise

Our research shows that musculoskeletal pain is more common than 50 years ago.

Poor ability to move may also impact the rate of injury, the stress biomechanically, and the stress physiologically.

But, to combat this, the use of appropriate movement prep intervention, an integrated approach with flexibility, core, balance, isolated strength, and dynamic warmups, may improve force absorption and reduce injury rates.

This goes with the idea that decreases in activity and the poor performance of movements may lead to dysfunction and, inevitably, injury.

Exclusive PTP CPT Offers
Gold Standard Cert	Most Popular Cert	Best Study Materials
A Good Option	A Good Option	Best CPT for you?

All populations and environments may use corrective exercises to reduce these incidences. 

Corrective Exercise Philosophy

The main objective of corrective exercise is to optimize the quality of our movements.

This enhances the performance, results, resistance to injury, and efficiency of movements and recovery.

The role of the corrective exercise specialist is not to treat the musculoskeletal injury but instead to reduce the likelihood of it occurring in clients and athletes.

These techniques can also be applied following an injury after receiving treatment. 

The Corrective Exercise Continuum

Corrective exercise describes the systematic process of finding dysfunctions in the neuromusculoskeletal system, developing a plan of action, and implementing a strategy of correction. It uses the three step process:

1. Identifying the problem

2. Solving the problem

3. Implementing the solution

The corrective exercise continuum has four main phases:

1. Inhibit

We use inhibitory techniques to reduce the tension and/or decrease the activity of the overactive tissues of the body. We accomplish this usually using a foam roller and self-myofascial release. 

2. Lengthen

These techniques are used to increase our ability to extend joints, lengthen muscles, and work on the range of motion for the parts of the body. This is done by static, active, or neuromuscular stretching. 

3. Activate

These are used for re-educating or increasing the activation of other muscles involved in movements. We accomplish it by implementing isolated strengthening techniques. 

4. Integrate

Integration techniques retrain the collective synergistic function of all muscles through functional and progressive movements and integrating dynamic movements. 

Exclusive PTP CPT Offers
Gold Standard Cert	Most Popular Cert	Best Study Materials
A Good Option	A Good Option	Best CPT for you?

Before implementing those four phases, we must go through an integrated assessment to find the dysfunction and how we will design the program as a whole. 

Professional Scope of the Corrective Exercise Specialist

Healthcare and Fitness

The healthcare system is made up of many complementary and overlapping disciplines.

One example is physical therapists working with orthopedic surgeons to facilitate the max recovery of the patients that they share.

This is for ethical and legal reasons. 

The scope of practice describes the limitations and boundaries of some medical interventions that a person may not be allowed to perform.

This will apply to clinical, licensed people and those that are not licensed.

The scope of practice may include acceptable caseloads, practice guidelines, and recommendations for referral to other professionals. 

Suppose some procedure is outside of the scope of practice for the professional. In that case, taking action must be avoided, and the client must be referred to another professional. 

The Continuum of Client Care and Performance

The healthcare system has the following disciplines:

• Hospitals: the emergency clinics and trauma centers.
• Ambulatory Care Centers: this includes the physicians and specialists for personal care.
• Therapists: these include the many professions similar to athletic training, physical therapy, and massage therapy. 
• Ancillary Facilities: this includes dentists and optometrists.
• Behavioral Health Specialists: this includes psychiatrists and psychologists.
• Alternative Medicine Practitioners: this includes professions such as chiropractors and acupuncture specialists.
• Long Term Care: these include home health and hospice workers. 
• Health and Fitness Specialists: personal trainers, corrective exercise specialists, nutrition coaches, and group exercise instructors. 
• Athletic Performance Specialists: this includes strength and conditioning coaches and performance specialists.

Professional Responsibilities

A corrective exercise specialist works in the field of health and fitness. They perform individualized assessments and make safe and effective exercise programs for individuals based on evidence and scientifically valid.

They can serve clients with no medical or special needs, or they may collaborate with other healthcare professionals.

The goal, in total, is to optimize the quality of our movements and enable performance at a consistent level of the desired fitness or performance outcome. 

Goals

The corrective exercise specialists focus on optimizing the movement quality of individuals.

We do this by taking clients along the continuum of post rehab treatment. 

Populations

The populations that corrective exercise is appropriate for post rehab fitness clients that don’t have special medical needs and also recreational and competitive athletes.

A history of injuries and medical release is needed from healthcare providers. 

Professional Settings

The common settings are places such as fitness facilities, private studios, healthcare offices that provide exercise services and independent services. 

Techniques and Skills

These specialists are skilled in two main domains.

These are assessment and programming.

The corrective exercise specialists will use an individualized level of assessment so they can create a comprehensive profile of the client.

These professionals also are required to hold a certification in CPR and AED so that they can respond to emergency situations.

Diagnosing and Treatment

This involves a comprehensive review and an understanding of health history, symptoms, and medical conditions, and then determining the client’s specific condition.

The professional must also be ready to refer the clients to outside providers in cases where they might be outside of their scope of practice. 

Pain

This may be acute or chronic and can come from multiple systems. It is impacted by variables that are social, psychological, and biological. 

The Future

A trend toward nonfunctional living is recognized in the fitness industry.

Health and fitness professionals are seeing a decrease in physical functionality with their clients and their athletes and they will strive to address these increasing problems.