Let’s Talk about Prehab…

Prehab is an attempt to reduce risk of injury by preparing the body for movement, monitoring load and load tolerance and adjusting accordingly. A prehab program may include movement preparation such as mobility and stability work, strength to address any natural imbalances occurring with activity, monitoring of load and subsequent fatigue, and then modification throughout training phases as required based on fatigue or discomfort.

Our in-house sports chiropractor Luke White says that “prevention is always better than rehabilitation or cure”, and uses these methods of load monitoring to build strength in each of his clients. In our modern lifestyle, where a great deal of time is spent sitting or going through repetitive motions, one of the most important things we can do is to move. Here are some of Luke’s favourite exercises to address some of the common areas we see problems with:

Upper body:
(1) Face pull: strengthens rotator cuff/surrounding muscles to prevent irritation
(2) Push up: downward dog: targets muscles surrounding scapulae as well as warming up thoracic spine/core
Lower back/core:
(1) Pallof press: teaches core control and rigidity
(2) Deadbug: prepares core for control, movement and breathing
Lower body:
(1) Squat to monster walk: entire lower limb warmup – challenges hip, knee and ankle stabilisers
(2) Glute bridge: the precursor to all hip hinge movements