Tag: clinician

Refer In: When Trainers Can Work with People in Pain

It is a common recommendation to immediately refer clients in pain to a medical practitioner. However, immediate referral is oftentimes not warranted, and in certain cases is discouraged. But as a trainer, how do you know when a client’s pain is a medical problem, and when is it not? With today’s podcast, I hope to answer that question for you, as well as give you tips on working with people in pain, and collaborating in a manner that is in your client’s best interest. Enjoy, and check out the modified transcript below                  Modified Transcript If you are a trainer, and your client has pain, what should you do? Well I’m glad you asked. Many people on the interwebz will make the claim that if your client has pain, you should refer. The reason why this claim is made is 1) because you do not want to make your client problem worse; 2) you also want to cover your ass. If you do something and your client’s problem gets worse, you could potentially get sued. That’s why people say “when in pain, refer out.” I think that this claim is bullshit, and here’s why. Reasons why immediate referral can be problematic There are three negative consequences when you pull the referral trigger too early. Pain does not equal tissue damage This claim assumes that pain and tissue damage are synonymous. If you listen to my talk, Practical Pain Education, you would find that

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My 50th Post: Motivation to Learn

A Little Personal It is hard to believe that I have already written my 50th post after starting this blog in February as a way to enhance both my learning and the learning of others. This blog has allowed me to interact with a variety of different individuals that I otherwise would not have. And when people who I deeply respect say they admire what I have to say (or at least my version of what other people say), I am deeply humbled. But I have had several cases in which people wondered if I do anything other than physical therapy and personal training (I do). One of my former mentors came up to me saying that she was worried about me because of how much I am into this. These interactions have made me reflect on why I am reading, working, writing, and learning as much as I can. Thus, I have come to some conclusions as to what drives me to help others. And this drive, while not the norm that some of my peers are accustomed to, is far from wrong. Others are Depending on You When you work as a health professional, some people neglect the fact that your patients and clients trust their bodies with you.  They put their confidence in your knowledge and skills to show them the path to bettering themselves. When someone puts this amount of trust into me, the last thing I want to do is let them down. So I

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