Doctor vs Trainer: Round 1

07Aug08

Let me preface this by saying I do respect the medical profession. I have clients that are doctors, and we have some great conversations about the human body and how it works. That being said, doctors are very rarely paid to think. They are , however, paid to follow protocal. And unfortunately, they are also very much controlled by insurance companies and policies. That being said…

 

One of my clients came to me with a knee issue. Her knee commonly “buckles out” from underneath her while she is walking down the stairs or sometimes just walking in general. She went to her orthopedist and he told her that she needs to strengthen the muscles around her knee and to stay away from things like squats. He also recommeded she walk on the treadmill as opposed to doing a recumbent bike for cardio.

 

Let me start with the first glaringly, painfully, annoying thing he told her: DO NOT DO SQUATS

I am sure many people who have had knee injuries have been told by a doctor not to do a squat or to avoid squatting. So you read that advice above and thought” Sounds right”. WRONG! Let me ask you a simple question, how do you sit on the toilet? How do you sit in a chair? In most peoples situations, both of those things are LOWER than your average squat.

You are squatting throughout the day. For a doctor to recommend you not to squat in your training is not only impractical, but unrealistic. Squats are one of the best overall leg exercises. Nevermind the amount of calories you are burning from performing it, but you are also improving strength, balance, coordination, and muscle stabilty by doing so.

 

Let’s now move to the second word of advice, for my client to use the treadmill instead of the recumbent bike. This is an individual who has such instabilty in her leg, that while walking, she has had her knee buckle out. That happening on a sidewalk, or the ground, which itself is not moving. When a person is walking or running on a treadmill, they are not actually walking or running. You are walking or jogging in place, while the belt beneath you is moving. A couple of things:

1: Your gait , whether walking or running, is not proper while on the treadmill. You are limited to the size and width of the belt and platform of the machine. If a person is walking or running outside, they have more freedom and movement in their gait, often a slightly wider one than occurs on the machine.

2: While the impact on the treadmill is less than what one would encounter outside, the pace is usually slightly faster. Again, because the machine is dictacting the pace whereas if you were running or walking outside for the same amount of time, your pace would naturally vary faster and slower.

I am not discounting the treadmill as a means of exercise overall. I am greatly disputing the advice my client received from their doctor. I am also suggesting they get a second opinion. I have told her to seek out someone who practices Sports Medicine. You want someone who is currently in the trenches,so to speak, versus someone who merely did some work in sports medicine a couple years ago to receive the designation.

I know knee injuries are very common, so I hope this helps some of you out there who may have a similar issue. As always, if there is somethinn you have a question about, please feel free to email me!

 

~Cher

www.chermartinetti.com

Filed under: fitness, Injuries, Uncategorized   |  2 Comments
Tags: exercise, fitness, injury, knee injury, lifestyle, personal trainer, sports medicine, squats, training, treadmill