Active exercise requires a person to exert force to complete a movement, while passive exercise involves another person moving the patient’s limbs. Most exercises in gyms are active, while physical therapy involves both simple and assisted active exercises to build muscle and improve cardiovascular performance. The goal is to get muscles to remember how they normally work and prevent re-injury.
Active exercise is a term commonly heard in medical settings and rehabilitation centers, as well as gyms and fitness centers. It is essentially any exercise in which a person must exert force to complete a movement. For an injured patient, this may mean simply lifting one leg on its own, or sitting up and getting out of bed. The opposite of active exercise is passive exercise, in which another person moves the patient’s limbs to prevent the muscles from atrophying or to encourage better range of motion. Passive exercises are very common in physical therapy settings where a patient is recovering from a broken limb or torn muscle.
Most exercises performed in a gym or fitness center are generally considered active exercises. Lifting weights, for example, requires the user to actively initiate the lifting movement. By repeatedly contracting the muscle, the lifter builds muscle. On the other hand, some types of stretching can be considered passive exercises because the limbs remain still while force is exerted on the muscles to stretch them. Active exercise involves voluntary movement and is generally focused on building muscle or improving cardiovascular performance.
When a person is recovering from an injury, they can participate in two types of active exercise: simple active and assisted active. Assisted active exercise is any exercise in which the patient must move limbs or muscles on her own, but with the help of a nurse or therapist. Therapy that has moved beyond passive exercise and into the active phase may begin with assisted active exercise because the muscles may not yet be strong enough to act on their own; a nurse can also help prevent further injury or instability in the patient.
Simple active exercises rely only on the patient’s movement without outside help from a nurse or therapist. This is a more advanced form of rehabilitation and usually occurs after the patient has had sufficient time to heal. The patient will most likely perform several days or weeks of passive exercise and assisted active exercises before attempting active exercises on her own to allow the muscles to recover properly and prevent re-injury. This rehabilitation phase can continue for several weeks, months, or even indefinitely in more severe cases. The goal of active exercises is to get your muscles to remember how they normally work and to build muscle memory so your muscles and joints can work well again.
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