Exercising incorrectly can be just as damaging as not exercising at all, argue proponents of an alternative training approach, writes SYLVIA THOMPSON
THE IMPORTANCE of regular exercise for our bodies and minds is such a key component of health messages nowadays that when someone advises you not to exercise, it stops you in your tracks.
Well, there is one group of holistic practitioners who believe that many people are storing up problems for the future by exercising incorrectly, and they would be better off stopping and checking their mistakes before starting again.
Siobhán O'Reilly is a specialist in corrective exercises and she says that many people are creating problems in their bodies by focusing on particular muscles and ignoring others when they exercise.
According to O'Reilly, if you suffer regularly from undue strain or pain after exercise, you may need to look more closely at what you are doing during your exercise or fitness regime.
"Ninety-five per cent of the time, people exercise without problems corrected," says O'Reilly. "For instance, they decide to start running with an internally rotated knee, and then later suffer from repetitive stress injury from a tracking problem in the knee-joint."
Also, what sometimes happens is that people develop completely inappropriate exercise routines. "Women are under the misconception that crunching will flatten their abdominal wall, but this exercise will in fact promote postural problems and men often will do big chest presses without strengthening their shoulder muscles," says O'Reilly.
"People tend to want to go after the big muscles, such as the transverse abdominal muscles, without strengthening the underlying core muscles which hold the organs in place and protect the back," she adds.
Alan Farrell is another corrective exercise practitioner. He says: "The problem is that people tend to go into exercise without checking if the body is ready. A tight right hamstring is a problem that many people who do gym work find. It can cause havoc with their gait stride on things like the treadmill."
O'Reilly and Farrell are both members of the Chek Institute, a training school established by American neuromuscular and clinical exercise practitioner, Paul Chek. The institute (www.chekinstitute.com) has a list of practitioners in Ireland with various levels of training.
"I was a personal trainer for years and what I found eventually was that the one-size fits all approach to fitness tests in gyms doesn't really tell people enough about their specific postural issues," says Farrell.
"I think niggling pain is the reason up to 70 per cent of people drop out of gym exercise programmes.
"The Chek training is still almost unknown in this country. But what I like about it is that it is an individual and holistic approach. Sometimes, I don't even give people exercises to do because they have to learn to breathe properly and do stretches first," he says.
Corrective exercise practitioners begin by giving their clients a postural assessment which identifies key strengths and weaknesses in various muscle groups. "Many of these problems are easily corrected unless there is a structural problem," says O'Reilly.
"We get referrals from doctors and physical therapists who recommend their clients come to us once an injury has been dealt with. Then we can get them back on track, so that they can return to the gym or whatever other physical exercise they do," she explains.
Following the postural assessment, the corrective exercise practitioner develops a specific exercise programme for each client and works with them to check the exercises are done correctly. During these exercises, clients are also encouraged to breathe freely and move in a way that their bodies are correctly aligned. A six- to eight-week programme with weekly visits to the practitioner is usually recommended.
In some ways, the approach is similar to the Alexander Technique, which teaches people good posture by correcting errors in everyday movements. It is also close to the Feldenkrais Method, which improves mobility through gentle, focused body movements.
"People come to us because they want to improve their technique in a sport, or they may just want to look and feel better. Some people do say that the breathing exercises we do are similar to the Feldenkrais Method and the Alexander Technique," says O'Reilly.
"Essentially, what we do is take them back to the base and pinpoint problem areas. It's so important to correct what's going wrong before strengthening other muscles," she adds.
Advice on nutrition and good sleep routines may form part of the treatment if the client deems it necessary.
Sinead Walshe has been attending a corrective exercise practitioner for the past few months. "I had problems with my knee for years and went to a physiotherapist and got corrective footwear. This helped to some degree, but with no long-term benefit," she explains.
"I've had huge improvement with the corrective exercises. It has made me realise how important posture is. Before, the problem was being corrected at the knee and the feet, but in fact it seems to be coming from my hip. I've been doing specific stretching exercises and watch my posture when I'm standing or walking."
Walshe says that she also had some problems with her shoulder from playing the harp. "I've been given specific exercises to counteract the positions I hold when I'm playing. I actually thought before that I had good posture, but what I've learned now seems to work well for me," she adds.
