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Therapeutic exercise

Exercise prescribed to restore or improve strength, mobility, endurance or function.

Exercise5 of 9 professions covered

Choose your profession and state in Your lens above, and this page answers for you first.

At a glance

The national picture for each profession. Your state can differ; the section below says how to check.

What it is

Exercises chosen for a specific person and problem, then progressed as they improve. It sits at the center of most rehabilitation.

Names across professions

The same technique can carry different names in different practice acts. The word a statute uses can decide who may perform it.

Names for Therapeutic exercise across professions
ProfessionTerm in practice actsNote
Physical therapistTherapeutic exercise
Athletic trainerTherapeutic exerciseAlso rehabilitation and reconditioning
Strength and conditioning specialistTrainingFor performance, not treatment

What the bodies say

Position statements, guidelines and consensus documents that address this topic, current first.

Check your state

Scope is set by each state's practice act and board rules. The national picture above is a starting point, never the answer for your license.

Find your licensing board

Get licensed links to the board for each profession in each state, so you can read its rules or ask it directly.

Go to Get licensed

Research

Searches that open in the literature databases. We point to the evidence; we do not summarize individual studies.

Terms on this page

Scope of practice
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