Western PA Sports Medicine & Rehab Clinic

Physical Therapy Exercises Exercising daily plays a crucial role in the process of healing and recovering from injury or disease. This is the goal of physical therapy exercises. Stretching and strengthening activities are only a few types of physical therapy exercises. Balance, joint control, and muscle re-training are other types of important physical therapy exercises. Click on an exercise below for more information. Exercises to Improve Balance Loss of balance is common in certain medical conditions and the elderly. This can contribute to falls and difficulty walking. Learn simple exercises that will improve your balance skills.

Single Leg Stance The single leg stance is a great exercise to improve balance deficits. It can be modified to increase difficulty level as you progress.	1-Leg Hover Step-up No matter how old you are or what you prefer for your favorite physical activity, you can almost always benefit from developing or enhancing your balance.
Rehabilitation Exercises There are many rehabilitation exercises to help in recovery from injury. This section will review a wide variety of therapeutic exercises.

Straight Leg Raise The straight leg raise is an excellent exercise to strengthen the muscles of the hip. It is one of the first exercises done after hip or knee replacement surgery. Both effective and easy, the straight leg raise is a great rehabilitation technique.	Hamstring Stretching Most people suffer from tight hamstrings due to the amount of time spent in the seated position while at work or school each day. For this reason many people will benefit from this easy stretch.

Strengthening Exercises
Increasing muscle strength is often a priority in recovering from a multitude of injury and disease. Learn various types of exercises to get the results you want.

Toe Raises
The calf muscle helps us take each step forward
by allowing us to "push" off the ground. Toe raises
are an excellent way to strengthen this muscle
group.

Leg Raises
An excellent way to strengthen the core muscles as well as the muscles around the
hip joint. This exercise is often done after
knee and hip replacement surgeries as well
a in patients with chronic back pain.