As a Sports Therapist I abide by codes and ethics that I am qualified and insured to treat, rehabilitate and advise on Injuries. Anything I am not qualified to do or feel is out of my depth, it is my responsibility to refer and always put my clients wealfare ahead of my pocket!

Why is it then that I have an endless stream of Personal Trainers advising clients on injury care that they are not qualified to do?
I qualified as a PT in 1998 and I knew nothing about injury management from this training.

Are REPS regulating this area properly?
Are trainers liable to be sued for this poor practice?

Whats your opinion?
I think its an area that needs looking at, but I don't know where it starts?

It keeps me in business, i see it all the time, a PT with a 4 week training course (there are worse out there, completely online training ) who advise on diet, injury management and other issues outside their remit, i suppose it is the fault of the industry or training providers who do not adequately provide information on scope of practise.

REPS is not a regulator it is simply a PA, it had too strong a link with premiere training and active IQ who insist they are completely different companies, well they mnight be registered seperately, but those who are long in the tooth still realise their historic links and the close links between all the main bods at both companies.
TO me REPS is a waste of time, they cannot enforce " you need to be a REPS member to have this job" as it is discriminatory. according to EU legislation.

all qualified personal trainers should have a basic first aid qualification as part of their course therefore they can and should be advising on RICE but then should refer on to a more qualified practitioner.

personal trainers can be anything now from a NVQ level 2 which is very basic however they can practice first aid ..thankfully.
As a degree level sports therapist personally cant be everywhere at any time so im glad the can give injury advice, but their treatments will be limited therefore I dont consider them to be a threat to me

Hi Annmarie.

I am not worried about PT's being a threat.
My concern is for public safety and well-being. I have injuries that with all my knowledge and experience have hindered my ability to do things due to the lame advice I recieved in my youth, before I knew any better.

Being able to apply 1st aid is a basic requirement for anyone working with the public and I have no problem there.
It is the innapropriate advice concerning specific injuries and conditions that they have no idea of the right, appropriate or best course of action.

Example:
1. local PT advises clients to rub Magnesium oil into the injury, thats any injury at any stage!

2. Client "I have a bad back". PT states lets do Deadlifts & Back extensions as you have a weak back.
Two years later sees me as he can't get out of the car with the growing back pain.

I have many similar stories which I can go into.

I don't know or believe anything can or will be done in terms of changing this. It's just one of those areas I find very frustrating, even though yes I get a lot of work from PT's injuring their clients.
The sudden rise in this Bootcamp style training has increased business too.

But from an ethical stand point and people investing a lot of money in their health deserve better than some of the idiotic information they recieve.

Rant over!

Hi Marv,, and rest of group readin this thread! Great conversation.. Until I read the hit on boot camps!

I run a very busy boot camp of 3 locations across Cheshire with about 200 members.. Having been an Army Physical Training Instructor for 7 yrs I feel "boot Camp" is a military thing and mainstream personal trainers shouldnt do..

However, on the injury side, we are very VERY minimal from that of a gym (of which I have also worked and ran clinics in them). Because everything outdoor is bodyweight functional training... Nothing is isolated such as gym machines or locked into strict plains of movement such as the multigyms of the gym world..

Outdoor boot camp, if instructed correctly by properly experienced PT's is a lot safer and more beneficial than any gym workout can offer.. Because it uses the body as a whole unit!

I have trained for donkeys years throughout the army and onwards the "boot camp" way and I only seem to get injured when running on treadmills etc (which I never do now!)

Stu

Hey Stuart.

You have hit the nail on the head there mate. As I said the sudden rise in Bootcamp style training and as you said, "mainstream personal trainers shouldnt do"..
I was not slating every Bootcamp, just some of the dangerous ones I see in my area. But that goes for dangerous Gym PT's too.

The number of clients I now see that say "can I take some cards with me to Bootcamp as loads have injuries".

But of course this is true of any training system, it does not fit all and pre-conditioning is vital.. get fit for the event, don't use the event to get fit.

We know that Functional & Body weight exercise is more demanding on neurological and muscular system. (Agility, Balance, Coordination, Speed, Power & Reflexes), than a typical gym programme.
Our work life & lifestyle decondition our ability in these disciplines and yet we see 'generic' Bootcamp exercise being given to all people of all levels.

And again, deconditioned people being made to run on a treadmill. Poor mechanics, poor muscle tone, poor gait, poor technique the list list goes on.

I know we have gone off point of the original post here, but it's great to have these discussions.

Absolutely!! I knew what point you were making!! It annoys the freakin hell outta me all these crap so called "boot camps" popping up everywhere, because ppl will go to them for £2-3 per session, have terrible experiences ie. get injured and then puts them off all boot camps for ever!

I will never reduce costs/prices of my boot camps because I knw they are worth it and further more! SAFE!! I too have ventured off topic.. but your original point of pt's offering injury advice is annoying as main stream PT's trying to run boot camp!

Shouldn't be allowed!

I had the same issue with PT in Fitness First a few yrs ago where I ran my clinic and saw PT constantly offering there own injury therapy/advice such as what you said!

But... to be fair... There are ALOT of bad therapists out there too!! (obviously non from Active Health!!!!)