child lifting... is my Dr an idiot??

[thelionofgod]

ok, so i just saw a physiotherapist for my back problems... nothing major, just can't sit for extended periods of time... and anyway, he said that 'doing weights' (as he put it) is both bad for my back and for children in general before they are fully grown and the bones have 'matured'.

So, the Q is- 'is he talking s**t or is there some sense in what he is saying?'

also, i cant remember your names, but i know at least a couple of people out there amongst you are trainers and if i had advice from someone who appears more trustworthy, it would hold better with my mum, who is a doc. and v. controlling...


Cool, thanks for all your past help and i hope youll prove to be of use this time.

Josh

 

[Phate89]

What age are you talking about when you mention "children". Once your a teenager, theres no problem with lifting weights.

 

[evolution]

What age are you talking about when you mention "children". Once your a teenager, theres no problem with lifting weights.

QFT.

I'm not quite sure why some doctors prescribe to this 'all-or-nothing' atttitude. I'm not a physiotherapist, but I think it's quite crazy to tell someone that "lifting weights is bad for your back." Bad technique and form is bad for your back.

And, as Phate said, there's no problem with children lifting. You have to take age into consideration.

 

[CrowTR]

It's only "bad" if children lift heavy enough weights to "mess" with bone integrety...squats, deadlifts, heavy benching,etc can interfere with discs, plate growth/whatever else....after puberty its supposedly not as much of a problem...but as aboved mentioned, form and knowledge of what you're doing=not screwin yourself up.

 

[thelionofgod]

r any of u who replied, or anyone else out there trainers? as mentioned before, even though i trust most of your advice, my mum is sceptical about advice from anyone but a pro- (trainer, doc, physio, etc.)

even just some false credentials would do the trick...



LOL

only kidding, wouldnt want u to lie 4 me...

Josh

 

[malkore]

Here's the thing: medical doctors like your family doctor...they didn't go to medical school to learn about the benefits or negatives of weight training. that's a whole different career.
by the same, unrelated, token, doctors don't learn all about nutrition either...so your doctor is the last person who can give you good advice on working out or diet.

All they can do is say "you should be healthy enough to exercise like that"...nothing further.

Frankly, I'm shocked. A doctor should be fully aware that load bearing exercises (stuff like squats) causes the body to increase bone density AND muscle density, to cope with the added stress.

In other words: little old ladies with osteoporosis would have been much better off if they were eating right (i.e. getting plenty of calcium) AND doing load bearing exercises like squats.

instead they sat and drank tea and played cards, and their bones have the density of swiss cheese now.


If you do exercises wrong, or do more than you should...hell yeah you'll do more damage than good. But that's true of anything, "do it right, or suffer the consequences".

your doc also seems to not understand 'weight training' doesn't mean 'massive power lifting'.

weight training is 'resistance training'. and doing push-ups is 'resistance'. so according to your doctor, it was child abuse in elementary and middle school when we had to do push ups and sit ups, and anything else that wasn't 100% aerobic exercise....because it was 'damaging' our frail little bodies.

WTF evar!

 

[missyv]

Your doctor is not an idiot, just operating on old out-dated assumptions. The medical community used to believe that children and adolescents should not lift weight due to the risk of injury and the myth that it would stunt growth. Recent publications from reputable groups, like the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) support the use of resitiance and weight training in children with adult supervision. I am not sure how old you are, but I think it is important that you learn proper technique to prevent injury, but with instruction you should be able safely train with resistance and weights.

Best of luck

 

[evolution]

r any of u who replied, or anyone else out there trainers? as mentioned before, even though i trust most of your advice, my mum is sceptical about advice from anyone but a pro- (trainer, doc, physio, etc.)

even just some false credentials would do the trick...



LOL

only kidding, wouldnt want u to lie 4 me...

Josh

Wut Malk sed X2.

Try looking up some articles at pubmed.com . It often helps to conduct research and not just basing your opinion from internet folks.

 

[Streamline]

I would take the advice of a physiotherapist over anyone on this site, any day of the week. Why you would question a professional opinion and ask a bunch of people that are far less qualified is beyond me.

Edit**

I thought i should say this before someone jumped on my back for what was perceived to be an arrogant comment. The above paragraph was not a shot at anyone and i was just saying that to make my point. I don't know if any of you are qualified physios, but i assume that everyone that replies is not (including myself).

 

[Excder]

I would take the advice of a physiotherapist over anyone on this site, any day of the week. Why you would question a professional opinion and ask a bunch of people that are far less qualified is beyond me.

Edit**

I thought i should say this before someone jumped on my back for what was perceived to be an arrogant comment. The above paragraph was not a shot at anyone and i was just saying that to make my point. I don't know if any of you are qualified physios, but i assume that everyone that replies is not (including myself).

I sure is hell am not one either but just recently i hurt my shoulder and talked the the Doc and THEN talked to the guys on here, not b/c i was questioning is diagnosis but to see what people who have been in my shoes have experienced and learned. You make a good point in why he is questioning but sometimes first hand experience(you guys) is the same if not better than the advise form a professional. Just my opinion

 

[Greenhorn Gal]

Also, if a "qualified professional" isn't using current medical data and research when doling out advice, it is a disservice to the patient. Not all doctors are educated on every piece of current data and research! Check out some of the links above and gather the CURRENT medical data as supported by current research and THEN make your decision. Better yet, bring the data to your doctor to review and discuss--then make a decision.

 

[Karky]

I would take the advice of a physiotherapist over anyone on this site, any day of the week. Why you would question a professional opinion and ask a bunch of people that are far less qualified is beyond me.

Edit**

I thought i should say this before someone jumped on my back for what was perceived to be an arrogant comment. The above paragraph was not a shot at anyone and i was just saying that to make my point. I don't know if any of you are qualified physios, but i assume that everyone that replies is not (including myself).

that sounds really smart, but it seems you advocate putting blind fate in people just because they have got a title. That can be very dangeoraus. Some doctors, physios, etc are utter crap and are very outdated. Show me evidence that lifting correctly is bad for the back.

..

Didn't think so.

However, I do think that going to a random internet forum for advice can be kind of unwise, but then again, that is how most of the members here ended up here. Besides, it's good training for your bull****-o-meter. The best way is trying to find a good professional who knows what they are doing, but that can be just as hard as finding a good internet forum, and if you don't have any knowledge about a subject then finding out where to put your trust can be hard.