Your role as a post rehab professional is to identify these residual functional deficits and improve the client’s functional capacity. As you can see, your role is vitally important to enhancing function and exercise is definitely the key to long-term management of most medical conditions.

Goals serve as the direction of and milestones for your post rehab program. Once the client accomplishes the short-term goals, new short-term goals are established and the long-term goals are readjusted. The ultimate result of the long-term goals is the return of the client to his or her maximal functional capacity.  When establishing short and long goals please remember the following: click here to read the full article

Our Spotlight Member for this edition is Lauren Renda, MFA, MES of Oceanside, NY. Lauren followed a very unique journey to become a Medical Exercise Specialist. She recently completed our MES workshop and certification and currently works at South Shore Fitness Center on Long Island specializing in post rehab fitness. Click the link below to listen to my interview with Lauren.

Balance training is becoming an integral part of medical exercise and post rehab training. The need to maintain safety precautions at all times when training clients with balance dysfunction is vitally important. Click the play button below to watch the video.

The video clip will discuss the use of gait belt or leather belt when performing balance activities with your clients. This post rehab tips video along with more than 20 others are included on our "Post Rehab Tips CD". Click the button below to order your copy of the Post Rehab Tips CD for only $25.

Ernie Schramayr, MES

Our member in the spotlight is Ernie Schramayr, MES. Ernie owns All Canadian Fitness of Hamilton, ON, Canada. Ernie started All Canadian in 1993 after a career in the Canadian Football League. Ernie has an extensive background in medical exercise management and used it to develop his practice. Listen in as Ernie shares the strategies he uses to connect with medical professionals in his community. Click the link below to listen.

Ernie Schramayr, MES

Our member in the spotlight is Ernie Schramayr, MES. Ernie is owner of All Canadian Fitness in Hamilton, ON, Canada. Ernie founded All Canadian in 1993 after a career in the Canadian Football League. Ernie has an extensive background in exercise management and used it to develop his practice. Listen in as Ernie shares some of the strategies he uses to connect with medical professionals in his community. Click the link below to listen to the interview with Ernie.

Medical Exercise Training (MET) is fast becoming a widely accepted specialty in personal training. Over the last 15 years teaching our MES and PRCS courses we have established the "Five Universal Laws of Medical Exercise Training". These laws maybe helpful when training your clients.

1.    Respect swelling and inflammation. You cannot train through swelling and/or inflammation. Exercising inflamed tissue or a swollen region will increase blood flow. This will further exacerbate the area and increase swelling.

2.    Connective tissue is king. Understanding the physiology of connective tissue and its response to training and injury is important in the MET process. Not understanding the importance of connective tissue tissue can make the difference in a program producing a positive outcome or exacerbating a condition.

3.    Watch for red flags. Yes, watch form and posture while training your clients but also watch for red flags. Red flags are indicators that something is wrong and the exercise program might need modifications to ensure safe progress.

4.    Train for function. Function is the key in post rehab. The post rehab client is referred due to residual functional deficits that remain after physical therapy. Identify these deficits in your assessment and incorporate activities into the program that will address the deficits and enhance function.

5.    Stabilize, Activate and/or Mobilize (Release). Not necessarily in that order but at some point in every program you will must incorporate at least one of these concepts into your program. Regardless of your training philosophy at some point these concepts come into play.

These "MET Universal Laws" apply to every medical exercise and post rehab client. Whether you prefer Pilates, aquatic fitness, yoga, high intensity training or traditional conditioning adhering to these laws will ensure you have a practice of happy and high functioning clients. Click the link below to listen to our podcast.

Dr Mike
 

The video clip above reviews the assessment techniques to determine if your client’s symptoms are solely a result of impingement or related to bicipital tendinitis or AC joint involvement. Click the image above to view the clip. Remember, post rehab professionals do not diagnose but having the ability to assess the client and thereby select the appropriate exercise is very important. If you would like this and other "Post Rehab Tips" for your library please order your copy of the Tips CD by clicking the link below.

Masha Henzel, MES

Our member in the spotlight is Masha Henzel, MES. Masha is director of fitness at The Rossmoor in Walnut Creek, CA. Masha has developed a unique program and fantastic staff that services a large and active senior community. Click the link below to listen to my interview with Masha.

Well the average de-conditioned North American adult can not tolerate the exercise in a health club. The average deconditioned human has a weak rotator cuff, weak abdominals and transverse abdominis, undeveloped vastus mediali, tight hamstrings and weak gluteals…just to name a few. When they hit the gym in those first three weeks…the guys want to build upper body muscle but they have puny rotator cuff muscles and the ladies want to tone and slim their thighs but they have undeveloped vastus mediali and gluts. These scenarios lead to rotator cuff tendonitis and/or impingement syndrome in men and patello-femoral syndrome and lumbar pain in women. Now will every new club member experience this….no. But physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists and physicians can bet the first 30-45 days of every new year we will see a significant number of HEALTH CLUB REFUGEES!!! They were injured in the club and are seeking asylum from their pain in our offices.

This is very easily remedied by post rehab professionals. Many of these clients may have medical conditions when they join the club. If they note on their medical history form any medical issues, then perform a musculoskeletal screening on the client. The screening, not a full blown assessment, will allow you to identify any potential problem areas with exercise and allow you to make the necessary modifications before the exercise program starts. This will give you instant credibility with your clients and minimize the loss of clients and revenue due to client injury. The musculoskeletal screening is presented in our Medical Exercise Specialist workshop and Essentials of Post Rehab Fitness workshop. You may also learn the 11 components of the musculoskeletal screening through our PostRehabWorks Infoware.

Performing an initial musculoskeletal screening will go along way in minimizing the loss of clients due to injury when the large influx of new members join the club. The difference between seeing a significant loss in training revenue in February and March may be the performance of a simple 15 minute 11-point musculoskeletal screening. Learn the 11 point screening from our PostRehabWorks infoware. Click the link below to listen and learn how to avoid producing “health club refugees”.

Dr Mike