The Future of Corrective Exercise
Now that we know where corrective exercise has come from and what history has taught us, where do we go from here? Computer use, technological advances and improved efficiency mean we all attempt to perform beyond our means. This kind of pressure has devastating physiological and psychological ramifications. As a result, corrective-exercise specialists will continue to recognize the value of psychological assessments, and life-coaching is sure to become increasingly popular in future corrective-exercise programs. Life coaching’s current rise in popularity in the fitness setting is an excellent indication of how clients and fitness professionals alike are seeing the advantage of using coaching to improve function and performance—both physical and mental. Fitness professionals interested in specializing in corrective exercise stand to greatly enhance the effectiveness of their services by taking coaching courses or partnering with someone who is already certified as a coach. Technological advances will also impact the corrective-exercise realm. It is likely that technology will be used to develop more accurate assessments and to help clients learn more quickly (through means such as body-imaging software and biofeedback equipment). A number of companies have already developed sophisticated Web-based assessment protocols designed specifically to address low-back pain and other chronic alignment conditions. Although corrective exercise has been around for a long time, the journey is just beginning. It took humans millions of years to stand upright and only about 100 years to spend most of the day hunched over again at the computer, driving or watching television (Hinshaw 1948; Mokyr 1985). It is not unrealistic to assume that in the next 50–100 years most adults will require corrective-exercise strategies to prepare them for a regular exercise program. Corrective exercise will no longer be an adjunct to exercise, but a prerequisite. In a sense, we have come full circle. We have become so efficient at not using our bodies for the purposes for which they were designed that we are almost back to where we started—learning to stand upright again! Lessons from history, however, have put us ahead of the game. Our industry provides us with the knowledge and expertise to keep people functioning and performing as nature intended. Continuing to develop our skills as teachers means that everyone will benefit.
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