It is increasingly popular to hire the services of a personal trainer to achieve health and fitness goals. While fewer people may require the expertise of a physical therapist, both types of professionals are involved in the fields of health and fitness.
Patients are usually referred to physical therapists, or physiotherapists, by their doctor to help with healing and rehabilitation after a serious injury or illness. Physical therapy clinics feature specialized medical equipment for rehabilitating injuries, such as walking aids, weight or strength training tools, special tables and exercise machines. Much of this equipment may not be found in a gym or sporting goods store.
While some of the exercise equipment may be basically the same as gym machines, physiotherapists have special training to show you how to use equipment and do exercises correctly for your injury rehab. Weight training equipment can typically be used in one of several ways. Using the wrong method for your injury can do more harm than good.
While working closely with patients during the early stages of rehabilitation is a big part of what therapists do, they also develop maintenance routines. These exercise methods have the goal of ultimately returning people to a similar lifestyle to what they enjoyed before the injury.
By contrast, a personal trainer’s specialty is to assist people in increasing their fitness level. This in turn will give their overall health a boost. Many people may find their first interaction with a fitness coach is part of a gym membership package. The first meeting with their trainer may include an assessment of the individual’s condition as well as an introduction to various aerobic exercise and weight equipment. Personal training can be extremely useful, but this sort of instruction should not be confused with the type of therapy received from a state licensed and/or certified physical therapist. It’s important to note that many states and facilities don’t require specialized training or certification for personal trainers.
Many personal trainers do take classes in rehabilitation after injuries, or in targeting weak muscle groups. In fact, some may have specialized training or certification in physiotherapy that may additionally qualify them for continuing rehabilitation after an initial course of physician-directed treatment is completed. But this type of training probably should not be substituted for the services of a therapist immediately following an injury, unless or until the patient is released by their physician.
A bachelor’s degree in a program from an accredited school is the minimum requirement for professional therapists. These professionals must also pass a Board exam in most states to get licensed.
It is not entirely uncommon for personal trainers to get degrees in health related fields. However, this level of training is not currently required. Personal training certification programs range from a few days to weeks of training, so expertise and knowledge will vary widely. After the therapist and physician have created a maintenance therapy routine for a rehab patient, hiring the right personal trainer is a good idea.
Nothing will replace the qualified work of a physical therapist when an injury is fresh, but ongoing maintenance can be done with personal trainers who are properly educated and certified.
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