Personal Trainers Vs. Physical Therapists In Injury Rehab Therapy

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.

This is not to say that personal trainers have no knowledge regarding injury rehab. Many take classes on the topic, or in targeting weak muscle groups. Some may even have specialized training or achieved additional certification in physiotherapy. These individuals are an excellent choice for continuing rehabilitation after an initial course of physician-directed treatment is completed. However, unless the doctor says otherwise, this training is not necessarily a good substitution for the services of a physical therapist immediately following an injury.

Physical therapists have acquired at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited school. Most states also require these professionals to take a Board exam in order to get licensed.

While some personal trainers do have degrees in health related fields, this level of training is currently not required. There are a variety of certification programs that range from a few days to weeks of training, so expertise and knowledge will vary widely. Once the therapist and the physician have determined a home care and exercise maintenance therapy routine, hiring the right personal trainer is the logical next step.

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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