<span style="font-weight: 400;">This article will discuss the details of how learning about <a href="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/intrinsic-biomechanics-understanding-the-components-that-make-our-bodies-move/">intrinsic biomechanics</a> can help exercise professionals when working with individuals who have finished their rehabilitation, post injury. We may also have specialist skills in working with individuals with long term conditions who require rehabilitative type programming. Therefore a deeper understanding of anatomy and movement can be helpful and found through learning about the application of intrinsic biomechanical principles.   </span>
<h3>What is rehabilitation?</h3>
<blockquote><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/biomechanical-assessment-everything-you-need-to-know/">Rehabilitation</a> is defined as </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">a set of interventions designed to optimise functioning and reduce disability in individuals with health conditions in interaction with their environment</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">” </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">(WHO)</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Rehabilitation is the remit of clinically trained practitioners, also known as allied healthcare professionals (AHP). This would include osteopaths, chiropractors, physiotherapists and possibly degree level or level 5 sports therapists. </span>
<h3>What is prehabilitation?</h3>
<blockquote><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prehabilitation is described as </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“aims to </span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">enhance general health and wellbeing prior to major surgery</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">. By intervening in the preoperative period to modify behavioural and lifestyle risk factors, the 'physiological reserve' of the patient is enhanced to buffer the surgical stress response</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">” (NHS)</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Prehabilitation is also prescribed by clinically trained practitioners but could potentially be delivered by a trained exercise professional under the guidance of an AHP. This can depend upon the severity of symptoms, if they are present. </span>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">NOTE: One additional consideration is to prehabilitate individuals who are not yet injured in a mode of '<strong><em>preparation for movement'</em></strong> due to the degradation of our movement quality from modern lifestyles that are creating modern ailments. </span></p>

<h3>What is post rehabilitation?</h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">The skills of post rehabilitation are relatively new to exercise professionals due to advancements in medical interventions and surgeries and the increasing popularity of employing an exercise professional but also because of the increasing population that is living longer but with long term conditions. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It is vital</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> we adopt an intrinsic biomechanical approach and modify our basic consultations and programming to support clients who have been released from their rehabilitation programme but don't yet feel physically robust or confident in movement. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">These clients may be able to walk, brush their teeth and get to the bathroom, and maybe they look like they move relatively well, but it could be that they aren't yet confident in their strength and fitness. The key skills of biomechanical assessments allow personal trainers to evaluate these individuals while taking into account the area/s of their body that have been through rehabilitation. An example might be ACL reconstruction; once rehabilitation has stopped there may still be some work to do to achieve balance, stability, coordination and strength for optimal function and performance. A personal trainer would be well within their scope to exercise this clients pelvis function for example.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Exercise professionals are keen and perfectly capable of helping clients get stronger but lack basic <a href="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/understanding-the-importance-of-intrinsic-biomechanical-principles/">MSK assessment</a> skills to increase our confidence when moving individuals who have a medical history. </span>
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<h3><img class=" wp-image-37381 aligncenter" src="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/email-image-1.-3-300x169.png" alt="" width="444" height="250" /></h3>
<h3>Work like a clinician</h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">We can adopt a model of practice (like intrinsic biomechanics) to deepen our understanding of anatomy, human movement and the assessment of physical limitations. This additional training in neuro-musculoskeletal (MSK) assessment along with the ability to critically analyse, write reports and offer meaningful transfer of information, enables us to ‘work like a clinician’ while being the exercise experts.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">This advanced level of understanding anatomy and by practising the integrated system approach through evaluating movement of all body parts in isolation, allows us to identify root causes of movement issues. This interpretation of how each substructure responds to movement (or a lack of it) along with the systemised approach of ruling things out, elevates our skill set to bring us in line with our clinical allies. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Biomechanical frame works allow a logical evidence based approach, removing bias for improved confidence in decision making and increasing options for intervention.</span>
<h3>Biomechanical Rehabilitative Frames<span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></h3>
<blockquote><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Biomechanics may be defined as the application of the discipline of mechanics to biologic systems. Rehabilitation is a practice dedicated to the restoration of function to a body impaired by injury or disease. Because rehabilitation is focused on the form and motion of a system of interrelated parts, an appreciation for biomechanical theory and application is appropriate.</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Having a good understanding of the framework and processes for rehabilitation will inform exercise professionals with additional skills in intrinsic biomechanics. The phasic approach allows us to best advise clients about who is the right professional at the right time for each area of their recovery. The intrinsic biomechanical approach also allows for a better understanding of the use of appropriate communication skills to support the client, whilst also knowing how and when to refer.</span>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Looking at a framework we can evaluate who is the right professional for the specific phase the client is experiencing. </span>
<ul>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Phase 1</strong> - Control Pain and Swelling. </span></li>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Phase 2</strong> - Improve Range of Motion and/or Flexibility. </span></li>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Phase 3</strong> - Improve Strength &amp; Begin Proprioception/Balance Training. </span></li>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Phase 4</strong> - Proprioception/Balance Training &amp; Sport-Specific Training.</span></li>
</ul>
<b>Rehabilitation - Phase 1-3 </b>

<b>Prehabilitation - Phase 2-3</b>

<b>Post rehabilitation - Phase 2-4</b>

Clinician (AHP) - Phase 1-2

Sports therapists - Phase 1-3

Exercise professionals - Phase 2-4

<span style="font-weight: 400;">As we can see here there is a degree of cross over and many practitioners today are hybrids, but this demonstrates the importance of working within a multidisciplinary team. Biomechanics Coaches are trained for this working environment to make decisions as part of a team through professional discussion. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">So hopefully by now this article has revealed how we believe understanding intrinsic biomechanics helps rehabilitation. Also how exercise professionals can use the skills of Biomechanics Coaching to support a clinical team in the long term care of clients post injury. </span>