I recently had a phone conversation with a man who sounded very much like most of my clients.  He had a gym in his Manhattan apartment building, lived in a neighborhood where I train lots of people, and had recently suffered a sports injury.

For the past 8 years, I’ve specialized in post-rehab fitness, so he sounded like a perfect fit.  He’d consistently worked many, many hours a week at his highly skilled desk job (way more than “full time”), yet continued to be a weekend warrior years after his son was born.  Although he did want to improve his overall fitness, his main concern was having just gotten hurt on the ball field.

He’d already been to his MD, gotten it checked out, and discovered that he might or might not need surgery in two months.  This potential client had done everything right-he’d chosen a surgeon at a top hospital, and had gone in IMMEDIATELY.

Many patients wait days or weeks to get a diagnosis, and this has a major negative impact on their outcomes.  His surgeon recommended NOT doing the operation right away, but instead doing some exercise to strengthen the muscles around the injured area.   They set an appointment to reevaluate and make a decision in two months.

As a personal trainer, I’m not able to take health insurance.  Many clients come to me AFTER they’ve been discharged from physical therapy.  Others come to me INSTEAD OF going to therapy right away.  A client’s physician may tell them, “your insurance only covers 3 months of physical therapy visits, and I want you to save them for after your operation.  Why don’t you try going to a trainer before the surgery, to strengthen the area as much as you can?”

Over the course of a 45 minute phone conversation, we discussed his health history (both illnesses and prior injuries), and his goals for the next few months.  When I asked why he hadn’t gone to physical therapy, he said his doctor didn’t mention it.  Then I asked the most important question: “Is that because your doctor doesn’t want you to go to PT until after the surgery, or because he didn’t say anything about PT either way?”  It turns out the patient hadn’t asked about PT.  The next day, he called the surgeon and got a script for PT!  I’m happy because I know he now has the accountability to show up every week and get stronger.  He’s happy because he can now save a significant amount of money by going to someone who takes insurance.  When he gets done with rehab, I’ll still be here if he needs me.

As trainers, our most important job is to help potential clients make the best health & fitness decisions possible-even if it’s not to work with us.  This man was highly educated, an experienced exerciser, and had been through physical therapy before for other injuries.  If people like him find the healthcare system a confusing maze to navigate, imagine how difficult it is for someone having their first injury!  When speaking to your MD, PT, or personal trainer, never be afraid to ask for help thinking through your options.