What You Don't Know About Physical Activity Is Killing Your Patients
Presented by Dan Rhon
12-Month Subscription
Unlimited access to:
- Thousands of CE Courses
- Patient Education
- Home Exercise Program
- And more
Nonfinancial: Dan Rhon has no competing nonfinancial interests or relationships with regard to the content presented in this course.
Physical inactivity seems so innocuous, yet it has been steadily increasing at epidemic proportions and is now associated with four of the top eight reasons for death in the United States. The health benefits of physical activity are far-reaching. The body was not designed to remain idle. Because physical inactivity is so pervasive, sharing the science behind physical activity and health will come in handy with almost any type of patient you work with. Knowing how inactivity leads to poor health, how to screen your patients for adequate activity levels, how to engage with your patients in ways that will make them want to change, and how to objectively measure and monitor physical activity levels is a basic skill set that any healthcare provider should be proficient in. This course will help set a strong foundation for clinicians in any setting to be better equipped to help their patients and clients not just move better but also move more.
Meet your instructor
Dan Rhon
Dr. Dan Rhon is a clinician, active researcher, and assistant professor at Baylor University in Texas. He received an MPT and DSc through Baylor University and then a DPT through Temple University. He attended a manual therapy clinical fellowship at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas, is a fellow in the American Academy of…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Why We Need to Move More From a Societal Perspective
Understanding how we went from communicable diseases being the #1 killer a century ago to preventable diseases being in four of the top eight causes of death in the US helps us understand why this needs to be a public health priority. As a society, trends show a continuing decline in physical activity and overall health, and something must be done about this.
2. The Body Is Not Designed to Be Idle
Just like a car and its parts that deteriorate faster when they sit and are not being used, the body also needs to move often to optimize how it works. This chapter highlights what happens to your body when it is idle and why even small bouts of movement, occurring regularly throughout the day, can improve health.
3. “Exercise” Does Not Necessarily Equal Physical Activity
Formal exercise is a type of physical activity, and while important, it alone will rarely meet your physical activity needs. This chapter discusses the science behind how regular non-exercise physical activity throughout the day can be more beneficial than a bout of exercise each day followed by being sedentary the rest of the day. Exercise is important, but being physically active is even more important!
4. Screening for Physical Inactivity and Prescribing Physical Activity
It’s hard to change what you can’t measure. Many validated tools and measures are available that allow for quick objective assessments of an individual’s physical activity profile. These tools highlight for the patient the need for change, help clinicians and patients collectively create goals for change, and measure progress over time.
5. Effective Prescription of Physical Activity
Changing behavior is one of the biggest challenges patients and clinicians face. Information alone is rarely enough to change behavior. In order to effectively prescribe physical activity, engagement with the patient to discuss feasibility, barriers, buy-in, and willingness to change are critical factors that need consideration. This chapter reviews necessary skills and tools that help individuals be more likely to make meaningful changes to their health behaviors.