[Five years of movement therapy - experiences from health resort work (author's transl)]

Based on the experiences gained with over 10,600 patients affected by attritional, degenerative or other changes of the locomotor system, as well as by insufficiencies of the cardiovascular system, early rehabilitative health resort measures are reported on. Assuming appropriate prior diagnostic as well as monitoring procedures being provided form movement therapy and sports, conceived as integrative components of an active treatment plan comprising natural remedies, are gaining increased importance. In line with sports physiology evidence, adequate improvement, however, presupposes application of these measures at a rate apt of achieving an appreciable, measurable training effect. This is true especially in those cases where a wide spectrum of gymnastic or sports activities - with an emphasis on group activity and expert supervision - are offered that are not based on the principles of increased performance alone but are designed to give some scope to personal inclinations. Along with its purely therapeutical value, health resort early rehabilitation conceived on these lines offers meaningful opportunities for actively experiencing success, an experience that is capable of giving new impulses for a modified life style at home, thereby contributing positively towards the general health of our population.