How to Become a Corrective Exercise Specialist

Exercise and sports-related injuries increased 20% in 2021, rising another 12% in 2022 (1). Finding ways to prevent these injuries can help individuals maintain their exercise programs. This enables them to achieve their fitness goals. It also allows athletes to continue to play the sports they love. This is the function of a corrective exercise specialist.

Here we give a brief overview of the corrective exercise specialist role and who they can help. We also explain how exercise therapy differs from physical therapy. (They may seem similar but they’re not!) We even provide some of the most common corrective strategies used. If this sounds like a role you’d enjoy, we share how to become a corrective exercise specialist.

What Does a Corrective Exercise Specialist Do?

Many factors can put a person at greater risk of injury during physical activity. Musculoskeletal imbalances. Limited range of motion. Poor posture. All these can leave areas of the body vulnerable to injury. It’s up to a corrective exercise trainer to identify these issues. They then create a corrective exercise program to help close these gaps.

The first step in this process involves conducting mobility assessments. This helps the corrective exercise specialist identify problem areas. This assessment can reveal various types of movement dysfunction. It also helps highlight potential joint restrictions. What if a client experiences pain during the assessment? This is another sign that some type of issue exists.

The next step is to create a corrective exercise plan. This plan is devised based on the assessment findings. Its goal is to restore alignment and stability to the areas affected. This helps prevent pain and injury. In some cases, it may also relieve existing pain and discomfort. 

How to Become a Corrective Exercise Specialist

There’s a right way to do corrective exercise training. This requires knowing which strategies work. It also requires knowing which ones don’t. A corrective exercise specialist program can help differentiate the two.

This type of training program teaches you all about human movement science. Often, we don’t give movement much thought. If we want to go for a walk or run, we just do it. We put on our athletic shoes and head out the door. But exercise isn’t always that simple. 

Exercise science is an entire discipline. It involves the study of human movement. It also looks at how our body adapts and responds to this movement. And this adaptation and response can change based on our body’s structure and function.

Having a corrective exercise specialization ensures that you know the most effective strategies. This enables you to better help clients with musculoskeletal issues. You gain a better understanding of the structure and function of muscles and bones. You also learn what happens if there is a malfunction with either.

Most importantly, you learn how to be the best corrective exercise specialist you can be. You learn the proper way to perform a movement analysis. You learn which exercises to use based on the dysfunction or limitation. And you learn how to keep your client motivated every step of the way.

The last point is incredibly important. Developing a regular exercise habit can be difficult for anyone. It can be even harder for someone with structural or functional challenges. As a corrective exercise specialist, you must know how to keep your clients engaged. 

Correcting physical issues takes time. This can be troubling to a client who wants results now. Helping them understand the importance of each exercise is critical. So is reinforcing their progress every step of the way. You must be able to get them excited about how far they’ve come and how much better they’ll feel because of their efforts.

Who Benefits from Working with Corrective Exercise Specialists

As a corrective exercise specialist, you can work with a broad range of clients. Individuals who can benefit from working this this fitness professional include:

• Anyone with a muscle imbalance. Research connects muscular imbalance with pain in the shoulder, lower back, and knees (2). Muscle imbalance can also negatively impact sports performance.

• Anyone with range of motion limitations. These limitations may be due to the structure of their muscles, bones, or joints. There might also be functional issues. It’s up to the corrective exercise specialist to figure this out.

• Anyone with a movement dysfunction. Some people have movement patterns. This can inhibit their ability to engage in physical activity. Finding and correcting these patterns helps restore optimal function.

• Anyone in musculoskeletal pain or discomfort. Corrective exercise can help pain caused by muscle or skeletal issues. It works by correcting the underlying dysfunction. This enables the body to move with proper function and form.

Corrective Exercise vs. Physical Therapy

Some people confuse corrective exercise with physical therapy. However, there is one major difference. Corrective exercise focuses on injury prevention. Conversely, physical therapy is a form of injury rehabilitation.

If you want to stop an injury from occurring, you work with a corrective exercise specialist. This fitness professional can find areas of the body at greatest risk of injury. They do this by looking for musculoskeletal dysfunctions or limitations. They then devise an exercise plan to help strengthen and correct these problem areas.

A physical therapist is someone you work with after an injury has occurred. Physical therapists are medical professionals who specialize in rehabilitation. Thus, their “workouts” are a form of medical exercise. This is different from a corrective exercise workout that is non-medical in nature.

Think of corrective exercise specialists as preventive personal trainers. Personal trainers devise programs to help clients improve their fitness. A corrective exercise specialist does the same thing. However, their focus is on a client’s weakest areas of the body. The goal is to make those areas stronger or improve their alignment. This helps reduce injury risk.

Corrective Exercise Strategies

A variety of strategies are used when designing a corrective exercise program. The exact strategies selected can vary from one client to the next. Different dysfunctions and limitations require different approaches. 

That said, a corrective exercise program generally follows three basic steps:

1. myofascial release

2. stretching

3. strengthening weakened muscles

Myofascial release helps get rid of any adhesions or soft tissue “knots.” This corrective exercise strategy improves blood flow to the damaged area. This helps get more oxygen and nutrients to the damaged area. It also helps get the area to relax.

Stretching helps by loosening tight areas. This helps increase range of motion. It can also reduce movement compensations resulting from muscle tightness. 

The third step focuses on correcting muscle imbalances. If one muscle in an opposing group is too weak, it can lead to injury. Quads and hamstrings are one example of an opposing muscle group. Biceps and triceps are another.

Earn Your Corrective Exercise Certification

A personal trainer will typically seek training to become a certified personal trainer. If you want to specialize in corrective exercise, you want to consider the same.

There are many benefits to becoming a certified corrective exercise specialist. One is that a certification program can increase your knowledge. Understanding common issues helps you know what to look for when working with clients. A certification program can also help you learn how to cue proper exercise form.

Another benefit of certification is increased credibility. Being certified is a validation of your knowledge and skills. This can make you more compelling to potential clients. Certification provides proof that you are who you say you are. 

Indeed adds that getting certified may even increase your pay (3). It also gives you a competitive advantage over trainers without this designation. All these factors combined can help you have a more successful career as a corrective exercise specialist. 

ISSA's Corrective Exercise Specialist Certification

International Sports Sciences Association offers Corrective Exercise Specialist Certification. ISSA offers a variety of fitness certifications, including personal training, group fitness instructor certification, and more. Each course comes with a free website and unlimited support.

References

1. Sports and recreational injuries. NSC Injury Facts. (n.d.). https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and-community/safety-topics/sports-and-recreational-injuries/ 

2. Neme J. R. (2022). Balancing Act: Muscle Imbalance Effects on Musculoskeletal Injuries. Missouri Medicine, 119(3), 225–228.

3. How to decide if professional certificates are worth it. Indeed. (2023, March 10). https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/are-certificates-worth-it