Exercising with a Personal Trainer if you have Orthopedic Conditions or Osteoporosis

As we age, orthopedic conditions become more prevalent. By the age of 70, 40% of women will have experienced a fracture and even young children are seeing more orthopedic injuries related to more children participating in sports. As we age our bone mineral content lessens and as we are more competitive with sports from an early age we are more exposed to injury through contact sports, repetitive motions and over training. Physical inactivity is one of the factors that decreases the mineral content of bone so even when you become injured, its’ not the time to stop exercising.

Regardless of your age or how you got the injury, when you have a physical injury, your focus is to get back to living your life as normal as possible as quickly as possible. A personal trainer can be a part of your rehabilitation team. Since orthopedic injuries vary widely in severity each individual will need to speak to their personal trainer about their specific condition. Personal trainers with advanced certifications or degrees can work along with a rehabilitation team.

Experienced Personal Trainers Focused on Your Condition

Your exercise session with a personal trainer may include joint and soft-tissue mobilization and a variety of strength and stretching exercises. Personal trainers can help you with your home program instructions and help you simulate getting back to work with functional training.

Specialized Personal trainers can help you resume a productive lifestyle by evaluating your biomechanics and helping you to continue to regain function. Your therapy program with a personal trainer should have an emphasis on progressive exercise. Your personal trainer should provide regular follow-up and close communication with your physician to ensure coordinated care to achieve your rehabilitation goals.

Many sports-related injuries or simple bone fractures may require no formal rehabilitation or a few hours of physical therapy. These injuries are common, and personal trainers can help with the healing process.

Physical activity stimulates bone mass, even after menopause. Exercise is important for those with orthopedic concerns, especially arthritis. Exercise helps to keep the joints flexible, the muscles, bone ligaments and cartridge strong and healthy.

Exercising with Safety in Mind

It’s important for those with orthopedic concerns to safely work around an injured area. Performing daily stretches and cardiovascular exercises can be beneficial when the program is directed by a physician or physical therapist and supervised by a personal trainer. Strengthening exercises can also be performed 2 – 3 times weekly to help repair an injured area and can also be performed on non-injured areas.

For those with osteoporosis it’s best to do weight bearing exercises such as walking, body weight exercises such as squats, planks and lunges as well as standing strengthening exercises with or without weights.

Impact activities or anything that aggravates the injured joint such as running or any explosive or plyometric exercises should be avoided. A personal trainer will likely begin with basic and safe exercises and then gradually introduce new exercises one at a time so if one aggravates your current condition, it can be pin pointed and modified.

Contact your physician, orthopedist or physical therapist before beginning a fitness program. Include your personal trainer on your rehabilitation team as the personal trainer can monitor you closely during each exercise session to ensure you the most benefits with the least amount of risk.