Trainers Who Want To Be Just What The Doctor Ordered
By: Catherine St. Louis
http://www.nytimes.com
FITNESS clients can make unreliable sources. They may tell their personal trainer about their recurring back pain, but neglect to mention their hypertension medication. They may disclose on a health questionnaire that they are diabetic, but not disclose a bad ankle sprain. They may feel embarrassed to share that they had a pectoral muscle removed to treat breast cancer.
Conscientious trainers say they would love to have a better relationship with their clients’ doctors, mostly to make sure that while working their cardiovascular systems and muscles they will do no harm. But breaking down the wall between the gym and the consulting room has been difficult, say trainers who have tried.
“I’ve been rejected or blown off or gotten the ‘Give me your card’ kind of thing,” said Derek Dodd, a certified trainer and a registered nurse in West Palm Beach, Fla., referring to his contacts with some doctors.
Some doctors are reluctant to form an alliance with trainers, since it’s hard to know whom to trust, when far too many have certifications that are questionable, at best.
But some personal trainers not only have more demanding certifications, but also academic degrees in relevant fields. And unlike those who push “no pain, no gain,” they say they are concerned not only with how many pull-ups their clients can do, but also with how their medications and old injuries may affect their workouts.
And many of them contend that now, more than ever, doctors need to start thinking about them as part of their patients’ health care. For one, Americans over 55 are the fastest growing segment of gym members, according to American Sports Data, a market research firm.