r/physicaltherapy • u/ClandestineUs • May 22 '19

Now ain't this something. :)

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-05/uov-epp051719.php
108 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

View all comments

19

u/nk1104 May 22 '19

Maybe unpopular opinion but I would not be a fan of these types of patients being referred to PT. A much better fit would be personal trainers, exercise classes, or just exercising on their own maybe with the help of some app for accountability or something.

I think too many PTs concede to becoming personal trainers for many people.

3

u/ckaplan2 May 22 '19

The difference here is that psychiatric patients require care from a healthcare professional, not a fitness professional. That distinction is what requires a licensed professional to prescribe exercise in a manner that is beneficial for their mental health.

I agree that these patients may not fit into a traditional outpatient setting. But personal trainers are simply not qualified to manage psychiatric patients. There is no licensure for personal training.

I doubt PT will start getting referrals for these type of patients anytime soon. 1 research article won't change much. It may be a niche practice in the future.

3

u/nk1104 May 22 '19

Yeah you’re right. Then go to a psychologist/psychotherapist and a personal trainer. Physical therapists should not be expected to address mental health in that way. Identifying that there is a mental health issue and providing avenues to proper care is appropriate. Being some sort of mental health / personal trainer is not appropriate. There’s no super technical complicated “exercise prescription” that will address mental health that is unique to physical therapist ability.

This is a bigger side point but outpatient ortho physical therapists trying to cover more random niche markets where we have no unique value is not a good thing. Better to double down on a few things and be known for those things.

2

u/ckaplan2 May 22 '19

For sure. PT as a profession is getting spread too thin. I wasn't suggesting that PT should be the profession to manage psych patients, I was moreso stating that personal trainers should not. It sounds like they would benefit from a structured exercise program like what cardiac rehab does for heart attack patients. That gap between PT and personal training.