Why You Should View Rehab, Training, and Injury Prevention as the Same Thing

By Bob Fanelli, FAFS, Exercise Physiologist – Body By Design, Inc.

Injuries can occur at any time and in any place, impacting your daily life and long-term health. Whether you are at work, home, or engaging in physical activities, taking steps to prevent injuries is essential. This article examines effective methods for reducing the risk of injuries through practical and easy-to-follow approaches. By understanding and applying these strategies, you can protect yourself and those around you from unnecessary harm.

Understanding the Importance of Reducing the Risk of Injuries

Reducing risk of injuries is not just about avoiding pain or discomfort; it is about maintaining your overall well-being and quality of life. Injuries can result in lost work time, costly medical bills, and prolonged recovery periods. Preventing injuries helps you stay active, productive, and independent.

By focusing on injury prevention, you create a safer environment for yourself and others. This proactive approach reduces stress and promotes a healthier lifestyle.

At Body By Design, we believe that rehabilitation, training, and injury prevention aren’t three separate silos—they’re part of a seamless continuum. This perspective, inspired by the Gray Institute’s Applied Functional Science® (AFS), transforms the way we help our clients recover, perform, and thrive.

The Principle–Strategy–Technique Process: No Cookie-Cutter Protocols

Too often, people are given generic rehab or training plans that don’t meet their specific needs. We do things differently. Every client begins with a thorough assessment, which involves observing how you move, identifying your strengths, and uncovering areas for growth. From there, we utilize the Principle–Strategy–Technique Process of Applied Functional Science to design a program that’s uniquely tailored to you.

• Principle: Understand the truths of human movement.

• Strategy: Develop a plan tailored to your specific needs and goals.

• Technique: Apply movements and exercises in ways that make sense for you.

  
  

Rehab Is a Continuum, Not a Checklist

Traditional rehab often treats motion, strength, and balance as separate boxes to check—first you get your motion back, then your strength, then your balance. But real life doesn’t work that way, and neither should your recovery.

Instead, we treat rehab as a dynamic continuum. Let’s say you come in with a knee injury but already have good strength. We’ll use that strength to help you regain motion and balance, building on what you do well. If you’re flexible but lack stability, your flexibility becomes the foundation for developing strength and control.

One Program, Many Goals

Whether your goal is to get out of pain, run a faster mile, or simply move with confidence, the path is surprisingly similar. With AFS, we use total-body, functional movements that can be tweaked to emphasize the results you want:

• Flexibility: Dynamic stretches that mimic daily activities

• Strength & Power: Multi-directional loaded movements

• Balance & Endurance: Progressions that challenge stability and stamina

For example, a client recovering from a shoulder injury and an athlete training for tennis might both perform lunge-and-reach patterns—but the emphasis, load, and speed are adjusted to fit their needs.

Functional Training IS Injury Prevention

Here’s the secret: the same global, functional movements that help you train better also help you avoid injury. Instead of avoiding so-called “dangerous” movements, we introduce them gradually, teaching your body to decelerate and accelerate safely. This builds resilience and confidence in real-world activities.

Take gardening, tennis, or even picking up your grandkids—these all involve twisting, bending, and reaching. By training these motions in a controlled way, you’re not just getting stronger—you’re future-proofing your body.

Real Results: From Pain Relief to Peak Performance

Our clients consistently tell us they feel empowered—not just pain-free. One client, after completing her 7-session program, shared:

'I first started working with Bob Fanelli years ago after two herniated spinal discs. His approach was nothing like the generic PT rehab I was used to—it wasn’t just about fixing pain, it was about retraining how I moved.

I still love to lift heavy and train hard, but I’ve now added Bob’s Restore Corrective Exercise program into my weekly routine. It’s a system that retrains how your body moves at a deep level. It’s not a substitute for strength training—it’s the foundation that makes it sustainable.

Restore helps me move better, recover faster, and stay strong without breaking down. For the first time in a long time, I’m training without the nagging aches and pains that used to feel “normal.”


Restore has become a non-negotiable part of my life. It’s what lets me keep doing what I love, long-term.'

-Ramona G.

This is the power of seeing rehab, training, and injury prevention as one continuous journey.

Takeaway: Progress, Not Perfection

No matter where you start—recovering from surgery, managing chronic pain, or looking to break a personal record—the process is the same:

Assess, personalize, progress.

Ready to experience the difference? Contact us to schedule your personalized movement assessment.