Research Corner - Q&A Training After Trauma by Tony Reynolds | Date Released : 19 Apr 2006 0 comments Print Close Question: I have a client who has recently been through some traumatic experiences, both emotional and physical. She lost a lot of weight and now suffers from severe headaches from time to time and has relatively low blood pressure. She has come to me to help put weight back on, and it is happening slowly. Are there any recommendations or advice you have to offer? Thank you for your time! Answer: If you have not as of yet, it may be advisable to refer this client to a medical professional to outline any underlying issues that she may be having. Why is she having headaches? Why is she experiencing low blood pressure? Why is she losing so much weight? She may be dealing with depression or a number of any other issues that may require medical attention and will severely limit any potential progress. You may want to have a full medical release signed by a physician. Once you get this on file and you are 100 percent sure she is “safe” to work with, you may want to start by assessing her body composition. Does she just have low body fat, or has she experienced considerable amounts of muscle atrophy, or both? In other words, what type of “weight” does she need to put on? You may need to assess her dietary habits. Is she eating a healthy well rounded diet, or is she dealing with disordered eating. How many calories does she need versus what she is taking in? This may be a rough question to ask, but is she abusing any controlled substances? You may also want to do a full lifestyle assessment and try to outline her major life stressors. Stress can be the root of many evils, and you may help a lot of the other issues by helping her better (more healthfully) deal with her stress. If you are implementing an exercise program, make sure you are compensating for the caloric expenditure when assessing her caloric needs. More than likely she is dealing with a host of issues that will be hard for her to address all at once. I would suggest you sit down with her and outline each problem. Draw up goals (what optimal would be and some sub-goals) create an action plan (with very detailed action steps) for each issue, and set up achievable timelines. Don’t address everything at once. Rather, put out the biggest fire first and work your way down. I hope this helps! Back to top About the author: Tony Reynolds Tony Reynolds, MS, CSCS, YCS II, is founder and Director of Performance for Progressive Sporting Systems incorporated in Terre Haute, Indiana. Tony graduated from Indiana State University with a Masters Degree in Sport Biomechanics. Since 2006, Tony has worked extensively with professional, college and high school athletes. His resume includes the International Performance Institute in Florida, the Cincinnati Reds, Indiana State University, Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, St Mary of the Woods and numerous high school teams. Currently, Tony is serving on the Executive Counsel and Board of Directors for the International Youth Conditioning Association. Through this position, he serves to manage and help develop the quickly growing organization. Tony is a co-author for the IYCA’s foundational textbook Developmental Essentials and is one of three elite lecturers that present and certify the IYCA’s Level II and III certifications. Tony has helped to design all three levels of the IYCA’s certification exams. Tony is a featured author and sport performance expert for many strength and conditioning resources including SportSpecific.com, Athlete.com, Bodybuilding.com, Completetrackandfield.com and Soccerspecific.com. Additionally, Tony has lectured for Indiana State Univeristy, presented at the Ryan Lee Bootcamp, IYCA Level II seminars and the Annual Midwest Strength, Conditioning & Rehabilitation Symposium. Full Author Details Related content Content from Tony Reynolds Chi to be Healthy Joshua Rubin | Articles Why People Don’t Heal - Part 1 by Paul Chek | Videos The Vitality Index of Holistic Health by Clifford Oliver | Videos The 4th Dimension of Fitness by Gary Gray | Videos Health and Lifestyle Questionnaire PTontheNET Library | Articles Physicians Approval PTontheNET Library | Articles Low Blood Pressure and Exercise Stephen Holt | Articles Exercise and Depression - Part 1 Mike Carrera | Articles SAQ: A Developmental Perspective - Part 2 Tony Reynolds | Articles Leg Length Discrepancy Tony Reynolds | Articles Horizontal Loading - The Missing Link Tony Reynolds | Articles Calf Raises Tony Reynolds | Articles SAQ: A Developmental Perspective - Part 1 Tony Reynolds | Articles High School Wrestler Tony Reynolds | Articles Building Mass Despite Shoulder Injury Tony Reynolds | Articles Separated Abdominals After Childbirth Tony Reynolds | Articles Gout in Ankle Tony Reynolds | Articles Kite Surfing Tony Reynolds | Articles Training After Trauma Tony Reynolds | Articles Spot Reduction for Calves Tony Reynolds | Articles Lax Cross Ligaments in the Knee Tony Reynolds | Articles Please login to leave a comment Comments (0) Back to top