A. Factors affecting body alignment and activity
1. Growth and Development
A person’s age and musculoskeletal and nervous system development affect
posture, body proportions, body mass, body movement, and reflexes.
Newborn: movements are reflexive and random. Gross motor development
precedes fine motor skills.
1-5 years both gross and fine motor skills are refined. Immobility can impair
the social and motor development of young children.
6-12 years of age, refinement of motor skills continues and exercise patterns
for later life are generally determined.
Adolescence, growth spurts and behaviors (e.g. carrying heavy book bags on
one shoulder) may result in postural changes that often persist into
adulthood.
Between 20-40 years of age generally have a few physical changes affecting
mobility except pregnant women. A healthy pregnant woman should
exercise 30 minutes or more to prevent gestational diabetes and control
excess weigh gain after delivery.
As the age advances, muscle tone and bone density decrease, joints lose
flexibility, reaction time slows and bone mass decrease.
Osteoporosis: The excessive loss of calcium from bones without sufficient
replacement. Bones become brittle and fragile. Osteoporosis is common in
older women. It can cause compression fracture of the vertebrae and hip
fracture.
2. Nutrition
Both undernutrition and overnutrition can influence body alignment and
mobility
Poorly nourished people may have muscle weakness and fatigue.
Inadequate calcium intake and vitamin D synthesis increase the risk of
osteoporosis.
Obesity can distort movement and stress joint affecting posture, balance, and
joint heath.
3. Personal Values and Attitudes
People value regular exercise is often the result of family influence.
People who value a muscular build or physical attractiveness may participate
in regular exercise programs to produce the appearance they desire.
Choice of physical activity or type of exercise is also influenced by value. The
design of individualized exercise prescription will ensure greater adherence
to an exercise program including frequency, intensity and time.
, Clients who experience orthostatic hypotension, impaired equilibrium and
gain disturbance should begin exercising in supervised environments.
4. External factors
Excessively high temperatures and high humidity discourage activity.
Comfortable temperatures and low humidity are conductive to activity.
Quality water is the best fluid to replace loss incurred through metabolic
processes and exercise (e.g drinking 1 to 2 cups of water is usually adequate
for shorter bouts and exercise)
5. Prescribed limitations
Limitations to movement may be medically prescribed for some health
problem
To promote healing, devise such as casts, braces, splints and traction are
often used to immobility body parts.
Bed rest is the therapeutic choice for certain clients (e.g relieve edema,
reduce metabolic, oxygen needs, promote tissue repair, decrease pain). It
also means strict confinement to bed or “ complete” bed rest.
B. EXERCISE
1. Purpose
Decrease risk factors for chronic diseases and increase health and well-being
Functional Strength is defined as the ability of the body to perform work.
Activity tolerance is the type and amount of exercise/ADLs an individual
perform without experiencing adverse effects.
2. Types of exercise
Involving the active contraction and relaxation of muscles
Isotonic (dynamic) exercise are those in which the muscle shortens and
produce muscle contraction and active movement (ROM e.g running,
walking, swimming…) Isotonic exercise increases muscle tone, mass, strength,
maintain joint flexibility and circulation. During isotonic exercise heart rate
and cardiac output increase blood flow to all parts of the body.
Isometric exercise (static or setting) are those in which the muscle
contraction occurs without moving the joint to maintain strength in
immobilized muscles in casts or traction. Used in ambulation and for
endurance training. Producing mild increase HR and CO, no increase in blood
flow to other parts of the body (e.g squeezing a towel or pillow between the
knees)
Isokinetic exercise ( resistive) involve muscle contraction or tension against
resistance to build up certain muscle group.
Aerobic exercise is activity which the amount of oxygen taken into the body
is greater than that used to perform the activity.