It should be noted whether motion is painful or painless. Active assistive range of motion is used when the muscles are too weak or when joint movement causes discomfort. Muscle strength may be increased with progressive resistive exercise. When a muscle is very weak, gravity alone is sufficient resistance. When muscle strength becomes fair, additional manual or mechanical resistance is needed to increase muscle strength.
Mechanical resistance includes weights, spring tension, and other techniques.
Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation helps promote neuromuscular activity in patients who have upper motor neuron damage with spasticity. Coordination exercises are task-oriented. They work more than one joint and muscle. Coordination exercises provide a simple way to improve motor skills. General conditioning exercises treat the effects of debilitation, prolonged bed rest, or immobilization.