Trainers Who Want To Be Just What The Doctor Ordered
By: Catherine St. Louis
http://www.nytimes.com
“We are seeing more people coming to gyms with hypertension, diabetes and old musculoskeletal injuries,” said Michael Jones, the founder of the American Academy of Health, Fitness and Rehabilitation Professionals, an educational organization in Sacramento. “They need good exercise programs that are developed in conjunction with fitness and medical professionals to avoid injuries and improve function.”
In addition, many health insurers are limiting the number of physical therapy visits a patient can make, and trainers are inheriting more half-mended patients.
“The insurance company is looking for roughly 75 to 80 percent overall improvement, at which point the insurance company stops authorizing visits,” said Dr. Craig Antell, who practices physical medicine in Manhattan. “You’re left with a patient who is 80 percent better, still needing work. That’s where personal trainers come in.”
Dr. Antell, the medical director at Madison Avenue Physical Rehabilitation and Wellness, is one doctor who understands the importance of a good relationship with personal trainers. He estimated that last year his practice referred about 50 patients to trainers, up from a dozen five years ago.
He said he does not make such referrals indiscriminately: All 10 trainers he works with have bachelor’s or master’s degrees in exercise science or a relevant field. And to ensure that the trainer is in tune with a patient’s needs, he requires the first trainer-patient session to occur at his office so he can supervise. “If I get a trainer that hurts someone, I’ve got a world of trouble,” Dr. Antell said.
He said he also requests monthly updates on patients from trainers, so he is alerted if one has a setback.
The most diligent trainers can be useful to doctors because they can be a first-alert system for developing problems. Jan Griscom, a personal trainer for 25 years who works at the Chelsea Piers sports center in Manhattan, recalled one client who had extreme back pain when he did abdominal crunches.