| Currently, I am
training one client who is recovering from a double hamstring
strain, and another recovering from double hip replacement surgery.
While this may seem strange, it really is more common than you
may think—injury rehabilitation that is. The chain of health care
begins with the physician, usually followed by a physical therapist,
and often ends with a personal trainer. A physical therapist’s
sole focus is to rehab the injury in order to regain normal function,
or as close to that as possible. However, insurance restrictions
often cover therapy only for a minimal amount of time, leaving
the patient to fend for himself and continue to work on his/ her
own following therapy. Most of the time the rehabilitation ends
there. So in my line of work, it is getting more and more common
for people in this position to approach a personal trainer for
post-rehab training.
As you may have imagined, training a client recovering from hip
replacement surgery or a strained hamstring requires very special
consideration in order to strengthen the areas in question, while
not worsening the injury in the process. Each case is unique and
should be handled as such. I usually begin by giving the client
a form to pass on to the physician, asking for any limitations
and recommendations as far as the client’s training is concerned.
The physicians are usually more than happy to cooperate and pleased
at the same time that the trainer is taking the time to ask for
the physician’s professional advice. From there, I research the
injury, and using the guidelines provided by the physician, design
a training regime for the client.
In the case of the hip replacement, quite a few restrictions
were in place: no bending over, no angles greater than 90 degrees,
and no twisting, due to the increased chance of the hip dislocating.
These types of restrictions require special exercises that are
safe and within the recommended guidelines, as well as effective
for the injury in question. The goal was to strengthen the hips
and surrounding muscle groups, while at the same time increase
flexibility and prevent any further injury. We began with compound
exercises like partial wall squats with the help of a therapy
ball, and simple standing exercises coupled with exercise tubing
to improve balance and increase overall strength. I also incorporated
some specific hip exercises that my client performed while lying
on a bed in order not to exceed the 90-degree angle rule, as well
as stretching exercises. My client quickly progressed, improving
overall balance, strength, and flexibility. In the next phase
we moved on to some dumbbell exercises along with additional stretching
and exercises from the floor once we were given the okay to do
so by her physician. Currently my client continues to improve
on a regular basis, and her physician is very happy with progress.
The point to be noted in all of this is that personal training
has a place in the healthcare system chain, and is becoming more
and more commonplace following physical therapy. In part due to
the minimal amount of time that a physical therapist is usually
allowed to work with patients, and in part because it can be very
confusing for a patient to continue on his/ her own without any
guidance. However, if you are currently in this position or find
yourself to be sometime in the near future, I highly suggest you
research your candidates closely and ask your physician for referrals.
Good lines of communications should remain open between the trainer
and the physician throughout the course of training, most of which
can be accomplished by communicating by fax and paper through
the client. So if you find yourself in need of post-rehab training,
I highly recommend you look into retaining the services of a personal
trainer. Just do your research and be sure that the trainer you
are considering is certified through a reputable organization.
©Melissa Allen is a certified personal trainer, Blackbelt & fitness
consultant, as well as the owner of Optimum Condition— personal
fitness training and kickboxing instruction. She is a self-syndicated
columnist and a member of the San Diego Press Club and the National
Society of Newspaper Columnists. She welcomes input from her readers,
so please contact her with any questions or comments that you
may have by calling (619) 252-4993, email her at Opticondit@aol.com,
or visit her website at www.optimumcondition.com.
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