[lbi_inline_note timestamp=”6:52am on April 6, 2015″]ILLUSTRATION: iStock 2455890[/lbi_inline_note]
HED: Top three reasons to consider adding a medically oriented gym
For overweight people or those with a medical condition, a traditional fitness center can be a very intimidating place. So much so, that it can keep them from getting needed exercise. To that end, Russ Certo, a physical therapist who owns Grand Island Physical Therapy, combined a medically focused fitness center with his private physical therapy practice. Here are his thoughts on why the model works.
1. Add a cash element to your practice. As in a traditional gym, clients pay a monthly membership fee or a fee for special exercise classes offered.
2. Build lasting relationships with customers. In the traditional PT model, patients leave after completing treatment. The medically oriented gym model allows patients to transition to the gym after initial therapy sessions, allowing physical therapists to help patients achieve long-term goals.
3. Serve the needs of the whole community. People reticent to join a gym due to weight or medical concerns can receive evidence-based fitness instruction from licenced physical therapists, physical therapy assistance and exercise physiologists trained in working with a patient and their condition.
SOURCE: Advantage Medical
