Who does an exercise physiologist actually help?
Three broad groups, with a lot of overlap.
People recovering from injury, once the acute stage has passed and the question has changed from "what is damaged" to "how do we load this again". People managing a chronic condition, where exercise is part of the medical management rather than general advice: type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, and conditions where the aim is holding capacity rather than adding it. And people returning to sport, who feel fine but are nowhere near the loads their sport demands.
What happens in an appointment?
An assessment first, and it is mostly watching you move. A history, a clear statement of what you are trying to get back to, then testing how you currently load the joint or the system involved. Then a program, practised with you rather than handed over, and progressed on what you can do rather than on how many weeks have passed.
Is it different from personal training?
Yes, and the difference is not effort. A personal trainer works with a healthy body toward a fitness goal. An exercise physiologist works with a body that has a clinical reason to be careful, holds a university qualification in clinical exercise physiology, and can work inside the referral and funding systems: Medicare care plans, private health extras, WorkCover, TAC, DVA and NDIS.
Do you need a referral to see one?
Not for a private appointment. You need a GP referral to claim a Medicare rebate under a chronic disease management plan, and approval if WorkCover, TAC or DVA is funding your care.
Where to next. If you are in Melbourne, exercise physiology at our Kew and Oakleigh clinics runs from both, and the first appointment is 45 minutes. Book an appointment.