It's Time to Rebuild
Sports Medicine and fitness intersect
to help you rebuild, retrain, and rehab
BY KARIN MARIE
Upon
first entering Ironsmith Sports and Fitness Center, you might think
you were stepping into just another health club, but here the focus
is on medical exercise and neuromuscular development. Founders Sarah
Scott and Tony Kelly specialize in medical exercise, an area that,
Scott says, is different from both traditional fitness programs
and physical therapy.
A medical
exercise specialist is a fitness professional who develops fitness
programs for people with medical conditions, including injuries,
post-surgical situations, and metabolic conditions like diabetes.
The medical exercise specialist is trained to know how exercise
positively affects medical conditions and can develop a conditioning
program that fits a client's specific medical and fitness needs,
says Kelly. The Ironsmith staff evaluates people from the tips of
their toes to the tops of their heads.
"We start with where the feet contact the ground, then we literally
look at each joint and how they carry themselves as they walk in
the door. We look at their standing and moving alignment," says
Sarah, who was named one of the country's best trainers by Vogue
magazine.
An individualized program is then developed -- all with the input
and approval of the client's other health care practitioners such
as their physician and physical therapist.
A person who administers a medical exercise program should be well-grounded
in anatomical knowledge. "They must know about joint function and
mobility," says Sarah. "they need to be certified in CPR biannually
and understand cardiovascular issues. They should also understand
heart rate and blood pressure and need to know how to monitor pulse."
There are numerous certifications that a trainer should have to
work in the medical-exercise profession.
Medical exercise and physical therapy are growing areas in the health
care profession due to the aging population, as is the increase
in the number of injuries people are suffering as a result of sedentary
lifestyles and other factors. This lack of physical activity means
that many people lack the basic muscular strength development and
coordination that protects them from injury. The good news is that
as we learn more about the neuromuscular system, the training applications
used by medical exercise specialists will help people rebuild, retrain,
and rehabilitate more effectively.
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Ironsmith
- The Fitness Doctors
1701 West 35th Street
Austin, Texas 78703
512.454.4766
E - mail: info@fitnessdoctors.com
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