Medical fitness – tailored training guidance for patients
Medical fitness is a healthcare service aimed at achieving improvements for patients through exercise. Within this framework, physicians, physiotherapists and medical fitness trainers work together to create an individualized training plan for the patient that takes into account the patient's specific health condition and goals. Medical fitness programs generally target conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, joint pain, overweight and stress.
Today illnesses represent a serious problem for most people. On one hand, employers do not look kindly on those who are frequently and persistently absent. Thus illnesses can hinder earning income and create financial difficulties. Therefore the most important goal for the affected patient is to regain health as soon as possible, recover self-care and then work capacity, so they can return to their job, responsibilities and family.
Medical fitness is a new method that supports recovery in the most natural way possible — through individualized exercise. I have previously written about the importance of physical activity, for example in my article The Tale of the Peasant and His Horse.
Methods of medical fitness
The methods used by the trainer can vary, since their composition depends on the patient’s individual health status and goals. The following methods are generally applicable for most people:
- Aerobic training: aims to strengthen the cardiovascular system and improve cardiovascular health. Examples include walking, running, cycling, swimming and other cardio workouts.
- Strength training: aims to strengthen muscles and bones. This can be done using bodyweight or weights. The trainer may use free weights or machines.
- Stretching: aims to stretch muscles, joints and the spine and to improve range of motion.
- Functional training: targets the muscles and joints most important for performing everyday activities and aims to improve their range of motion.
- Rehabilitation training: aims to help the patient return to normal daily activities, restoring work capacity or at least the ability to self-care.
- Health counseling: provides advice on a healthy lifestyle to the patient, for example proper nutrition, stress management, and avoidance of smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
Medical fitness trainer
As you surely know, fitness trainers work to support a healthy lifestyle, disease prevention, body and health development, and conditioning. This knowledge is primarily aimed at healthy individuals.
For practicing fitness trainers, further training in medical fitness provides significant additional expertise. They become capable of designing a complex health-development plan for someone with a chronic illness that can be carried out safely despite the disease. Medical fitness programs play an important role in the prevention and management of diabetes, heart disease, pathological blood-lipid levels, metabolic syndrome and even cancer.
A medical fitness professional is able to communicate and collaborate competently with treating physicians and other therapists. Keeping the patient’s interests and goals in mind, they offer the possibility of high-quality, safe and lasting recovery.
It is important to recognize that this is an important paradigm shift! Doctors and fitness/lifestyle professionals can finally speak the same language and, while respecting competence boundaries, inform those in need that recovery does not have to rely solely on medications and symptomatic treatment. Properly guided lifestyle therapy can achieve much better results and may even free a person from diseases. This is unlikely to be achieved with medications alone.
Physiotherapy – supporting the effectiveness of medical fitness
The methods applied by a medical fitness trainer can be complemented by additional physiotherapy techniques, as these aim to treat musculoskeletal conditions and improve physical function. Methods that may be used include, for example:
- Massage: reduces muscle pain, improves circulation, relieves tension and improves range of motion.
- Treatment of muscles and fascia: post-effort stretching and relaxation, the use and mastery of the SMR roller.
- Electrotherapy: treatments using electric current, such as TENS and muscle stimulation, help reduce muscle pain, strengthen muscles and improve circulation.
- Ultrasound therapy: when applied before training it relaxes tense muscles and ligaments. Tension decreases and exercises can be performed with greater range of motion and less pain.
- Rehabilitation devices: there are many devices optimized to restore a specific function. They assist targeted, concentrated exercises that would be far less effective without these aids.
Combining these methods and applying them based on individual health status and goals can help the patient achieve the desired results.
Medical fitness trainer finder
You can search for a qualified medical fitness professional BY CLICKING HERE
