personal trainer advertising

[Guest guest]

Group,

I just got a postcard in the mail that is an advertisement for a

personal trainer (in Alabama) that offer training for ostoporosis

specifically.

There is no mention of physical therapy or rehabilitation, but the

condition is mentioned specifically.

Not to sound too territorial, but can a personal trainer " target "

anything besides weightloss, fitness, and general health benefits?

I happen to know the trainer and feel she and her staff are generally

good at what they do and do no harm, but it is too late (since the

fliers are already out) to protect her in the event that this is not

appropriate advertisement.

Any advice would be happily received.

Thank you,

Lane

Lane Blondheim, PT, MT

Active Health and Rehab

Montgomery, AL

[Guest guest]

Lance,

What is troubling about this, is not so much scope of practice, but rather

scope of relative expertise. Although (D)PT's are longer trained (at a

clinical doctoring level at that) and better equipped to help osteoporotic

patients than personal trainers . . . because as a profession (D)PT's don't

generally market themselves as direct-access practitioners and market to the

public as such, several things are beginning to happen:

1. Personal trainers are marketing themselves as portal of entry

providers for patients that are more appropriate for physical therapy than

personal training.

2. Massage therapists marketing themselves as portal of entry

providers for patients that are more appropriate for physical therapy than

massage therapy.

3. Athletic trainers are marketing themselves as having equivocal

rehabilitative skills as physical therapists.

4. Chiropractors are marketing themselves as having equivocal

rehabilitative skills as physical therapists --- and at the same time having

temper tantrums whenever PT's use the full scope of their clinical abilities

and manipulate the spine.

The bottom line and end result is that although several of these

(para)professions overlap in some skills and scope of practice, they do not

overlap in their areas of relative expertise. Although some professions are

better than others in respecting scope of practice, no profession, including

our own, is terribly good at respecting lines of scope of expertise.

Your situation is an issue not of practice scope, but rather scope of

relative expertise. I can't think of a single osteoporetic patient that is

appropriate for DIRECT training by a personal trainer without having seen a

more appropriate professional (e.g. physical therapist) to start the program

first. It is troubling that as " good " as you claim this group of trainers

to be, they don't understand the limits of their own abilities. If you have

a relationship with them, why aren't they asking you to do some kind of

pre-training physical therapy assessment and post-rehab exercise planning

for what should be MEDICALLY SUPERVISED personal training?

Dr. M. Ball, PT, DPT, PhD

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Charlotte, NC

[Guest guest]

Lance,

What is troubling about this, is not so much scope of practice, but rather

scope of relative expertise. Although (D)PT's are longer trained (at a

clinical doctoring level at that) and better equipped to help osteoporotic

patients than personal trainers . . . because as a profession (D)PT's don't

generally market themselves as direct-access practitioners and market to the

public as such, several things are beginning to happen:

1. Personal trainers are marketing themselves as portal of entry

providers for patients that are more appropriate for physical therapy than

personal training.

2. Massage therapists marketing themselves as portal of entry

providers for patients that are more appropriate for physical therapy than

massage therapy.

3. Athletic trainers are marketing themselves as having equivocal

rehabilitative skills as physical therapists.

4. Chiropractors are marketing themselves as having equivocal

rehabilitative skills as physical therapists --- and at the same time having

temper tantrums whenever PT's use the full scope of their clinical abilities

and manipulate the spine.

The bottom line and end result is that although several of these

(para)professions overlap in some skills and scope of practice, they do not

overlap in their areas of relative expertise. Although some professions are

better than others in respecting scope of practice, no profession, including

our own, is terribly good at respecting lines of scope of expertise.

Your situation is an issue not of practice scope, but rather scope of

relative expertise. I can't think of a single osteoporetic patient that is

appropriate for DIRECT training by a personal trainer without having seen a

more appropriate professional (e.g. physical therapist) to start the program

first. It is troubling that as " good " as you claim this group of trainers

to be, they don't understand the limits of their own abilities. If you have

a relationship with them, why aren't they asking you to do some kind of

pre-training physical therapy assessment and post-rehab exercise planning

for what should be MEDICALLY SUPERVISED personal training?

Dr. M. Ball, PT, DPT, PhD

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Charlotte, NC

[Guest guest]

Lane,

Get used to it:(. As long a PT's are challenged in selling their services,

enlightening clients on our services, other will eat off our plate. The

personal trainers are really capitalizing on the insurance model of " get

them/patients out fast and ther prior function as a baseline " and some PT's

don't rehab patient beyond their functional level or even mention and capitalize

on the patients desire to stay on and see and pay a higher skills therapist (

out of pocket) for better services than a personal trainer. Therapists DC to a

un supervised gym based program!. The one on one is what personal trainers

really gain on and it will continue until we become known as the primary care

providers for musculoskeletal conditions and prescribe exactly what is needed

for the patient, deliver it to them, have them pay out of pocket and mentor

other providers to give their services under our guidance. Remember were this

starts from.. Our compliance to the insurance model. Personal trainers, with

little knowledge- compared to a PT, can't do insurance (realize no insurance

equals ' I have to market and sell my service or I'll go broke'). My

recommendation is to find a PT based sales course and take it and market your

skills and services and let patients pay you for the better service. Educate

the heck out of your clients to pay you and deliver a great result in your

clinic. We have a huge opportunity with the need for exercise prescription

(correctly) and bridging that with prevention and rehab. In 10 year the number

of PCP's will reduce to little and patients will have to rely on someone to

educate and move them to the right service.

Vinod Somareddy, DPT

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

personal trainer advertising

Group,

I just got a postcard in the mail that is an advertisement for a

personal trainer (in Alabama) that offer training for ostoporosis

specifically.

There is no mention of physical therapy or rehabilitation, but the

condition is mentioned specifically.

Not to sound too territorial, but can a personal trainer " target "

anything besides weightloss, fitness, and general health benefits?

I happen to know the trainer and feel she and her staff are generally

good at what they do and do no harm, but it is too late (since the

fliers are already out) to protect her in the event that this is not

appropriate advertisement.

Any advice would be happily received.

Thank you,

Lane

Lane Blondheim, PT, MT

Active Health and Rehab

Montgomery, AL

[Guest guest]

Lane,

Get used to it:(. As long a PT's are challenged in selling their services,

enlightening clients on our services, other will eat off our plate. The

personal trainers are really capitalizing on the insurance model of " get

them/patients out fast and ther prior function as a baseline " and some PT's

don't rehab patient beyond their functional level or even mention and capitalize

on the patients desire to stay on and see and pay a higher skills therapist (

out of pocket) for better services than a personal trainer. Therapists DC to a

un supervised gym based program!. The one on one is what personal trainers

really gain on and it will continue until we become known as the primary care

providers for musculoskeletal conditions and prescribe exactly what is needed

for the patient, deliver it to them, have them pay out of pocket and mentor

other providers to give their services under our guidance. Remember were this

starts from.. Our compliance to the insurance model. Personal trainers, with

little knowledge- compared to a PT, can't do insurance (realize no insurance

equals ' I have to market and sell my service or I'll go broke'). My

recommendation is to find a PT based sales course and take it and market your

skills and services and let patients pay you for the better service. Educate

the heck out of your clients to pay you and deliver a great result in your

clinic. We have a huge opportunity with the need for exercise prescription

(correctly) and bridging that with prevention and rehab. In 10 year the number

of PCP's will reduce to little and patients will have to rely on someone to

educate and move them to the right service.

Vinod Somareddy, DPT

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

personal trainer advertising

Group,

I just got a postcard in the mail that is an advertisement for a

personal trainer (in Alabama) that offer training for ostoporosis

specifically.

There is no mention of physical therapy or rehabilitation, but the

condition is mentioned specifically.

Not to sound too territorial, but can a personal trainer " target "

anything besides weightloss, fitness, and general health benefits?

I happen to know the trainer and feel she and her staff are generally

good at what they do and do no harm, but it is too late (since the

fliers are already out) to protect her in the event that this is not

appropriate advertisement.

Any advice would be happily received.

Thank you,

Lane

Lane Blondheim, PT, MT

Active Health and Rehab

Montgomery, AL