Physio Beyond the Treatment Bed

You're a physio, why do you talk about strength so much?

Because one of the first things I ask is,

“What do you want to get back to?”

If you tell me it’s badminton, I’m thinking about how your legs help you push off to reach the shuttle, slow down when you lunge and do it again through a whole game. If you tell me you want to get up off the floor after playing with your kids, we’ll work on a different set of movements.

Pain might be what brings you in.

What you want to do again helps me figure out what to assess.

If strength is part of what’s making that activity hard,

we’ll build it into your rehab.

What is strength?

Muscle strength is how much force your muscles can produce. 

Your legs use it to stand up.

Your hands use it to open a tight jar.

Your arms use it to lift a bag off the floor.

Why does strength matter?

Think of carrying the same bag of groceries up the same stairs.

When your legs are stronger, each step can take less effort.

The bag weighs the same.

You have more strength to spare.

That comes in handy when you’re getting back to badminton, going on a hike or just getting through a busy day. Strength training also helps maintain healthy bones and can make it easier to keep doing everyday things on your own as you get older.

How much, how fast and how long?

Getting out of a chair is a simple way to see the difference.

• Maximum strength is how much force you can produce in one big effort. Getting up from a low sofa takes more of that strength than getting up from a high chair.

• Power is using force to move quickly. Think of springing to your feet. In badminton, it’s what helps you push off the floor to reach the shuttle.

• Muscular endurance is how long your muscles can keep working. Standing up once is one thing. Doing it over and over without your legs tiring quickly takes endurance. You use it on a long flight of stairs, too.

Your muscles can lift, lower and hold

When you stand up, the muscles at the front of your thighs shorten as they straighten your knees. That’s called concentric. When you sit down slowly, those muscles lengthen while working to lower you. That’s eccentric. If you pause just above the seat, your muscles are still working while you hold still. That’s isometric.

Start with what you want to make easier

Maybe you want to climb the stairs to your flat, carry your groceries home or get back on the badminton court. At Yen Physio, we’ll see where you’re at and build a strength plan around what you want to get back to. We’ll show you what to do, then you can put it into practice one session at a time.

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