Weakness can occur in muscles after injury or gradually from postural & movement habits.  Common muscles affected by weakness are: 

  • Deep neck flexors (Longus Capitis & Longus Colli)
  • Shoulder rotator cuff muscles (Infraspinatus, Supraspinatus, Subscapularis), Scapula muscles (Serratus Anterior
  • Spinal core muscles (Transversus Abdominis & Lumbar Multifidus)
  • Hip abductors (Gluteus Minimus & Medius), Hip external rotators (Piriformis), Hip extensors (Gluteus Maximus)
  • Ankle invertors and evertors (Peroneus Longus / Brevis / Tertius & Tibialis Posterior)

Strengthening these weak muscles can be done in isolation or with more complex movements, depending on an analysis by your physiotherapist. Deep neck flexors and spinal core muscles are commonly activated in isolation initially and then progressed to being activated with other muscles and while during more complex movements, such as during sport. Fot this to be effective, the use of these muscles needs to carry over to your everyday activities or sporting activites that have been giving you pain.

Strengthening should always include functional strengthening. This simply means strengthening muscles in the body positions that you get your pain or dysfunction in. So if you get pain while bending forwards, you need to practice activating muscles that have been weak while bending. If you have issues with pain during running, your rehabilitation/strengthening needs to be in standing and usually on one leg. This is to improve your proprioception, balance and strength. The exercises need to be progressed from simple, so you can learn to use the muscles that have been weak, to more complex or with a heavier load. A heavier load may be achieves by using a weight, standing on un unstable surface or loading your leg more quickly, such as hopping. Maintaining this improved strength and control can help to prevent reinjury too.

If you are having problems with weakness in any part of your body, a physiotherapist can help to resolve this and get you back to full function and sport. This will take time, the same as if you are strengthening in the gym. Usually it can take a few months for your strength to be adequate to return to your activites and sports without pain.