KPT IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE FOR MOST BUT NOT ALL PEOPLE:
One important question I have been getting from a lot of you is, "Can anyone use Kore Power Trainer?" Patients with back pain are especially concerned about the possibility of making their condition worse and rightly so! Many of you have tried various therapies in the past, sometimes with not so great results. The last thing I want is for anyone to ever get hurt using Kore Power Trainer, but please understand that no form of treatment is risk-free. Any medicine, therapy, or exercise program which can help you to improve your condition can also potentially cause harm. Even over-the-counter medicines like Motrin or Tylenol can have potentially serious side effects. A good percentage of my clinical practice is devoted to treating injuries sustained during yoga, Pilates, and various other forms of exercise and conditioning training. It is always a good idea to speak with your doctor before starting any new exercise program. Prudence informs me to say the same about KPT. Please know that KPT was designed to be used widely by most–but not all–people, regardless of age or level of fitness. We have developed three different routines based on core strength and fitness level, so even beginners can get started using KPT. IT IS IMPORTANT TO USE PROPER TECHNIQUE. Before beginning KPT, be sure to watch the instructional videos on this website which demonstrate proper technique and highlight the common mistakes that increase risk of injury. Getting a strong core helps improve or eliminate back pain caused by most conditions. But there are some exceptions.
EXCEPTIONS:
1) Orthostatic Hypotension: The first and most notable contraindication to using Kore Power Trainer is orthostatic hypotension. When you stand up, the veins in your legs, if working properly, push blood upward to the heart which in turn pumps oxygenated blood to the brain. In some people the veins don't do their job, not enough blood gets to the heart and therefore, not enough blood and oxygen make it to the brain when they stand up. If you get dizzy when you sit-up in bed or get up too quickly from a chair, you probably have orthostatic hypotension and because KPT workouts involve going up and down, this form of exercise could make you feel light-headed or even cause you to faint. Speak with your doctor before attempting any new form of exercise. If you have orthostatic hypotension, it is especially important to ask your doctor if you can do exercise that works your torso in an up and down fashion. If you suffer from orthostatic hypotension, KPT is mostly likely not for you!
2) Acute Disc Herniation: Most adults have disc herniations in their spine. In fact, more than half of adults who have never experienced back pain have disc bulges and/or herniations on MRI evaluation. The presence of a disc lesion is not a diagnosis and is usually not the cause of back pain. KPT is safe and effective for many patients with disc herniations. However, acute disc injuries in which a herniation takes place suddenly, pinching a nerve, and resulting in severe pain, weakness, or numbness down the leg that does not respond to conservative treatments such as traction, manipulation, NSAIDs, etc., can be a serious mechanical problem which, during this acute stage, can be made worse by attempting any form of core strengthening. Please check with your doctor before attempting any core strengthening if you have or suspect you may have an acute disc herniation.
3) Acute Back Strain: KPT works by strengthening the muscles of the core. If you recently experienced a strain of one or more of those muscles, exercising them can make the strain worse or prevent them from healing. Acute strain injuries need time to rest and heal before you engage in intense exercise. Once the acute episode has passed, core strengthening is the key to preventing the next episode, so KPT makes perfect sense. Check with your doctor and get clearance for core strengthening, then set-up your KPT and get to work!
4) Advanced Osteoporosis: If your bones have been weakened by advanced osteoporosis, any form of intense exercise can potentially cause injury. Please check with your doctor before attempting any core strengthening if you have or suspect you may have an advanced osteoporosis.
5) Pain During or Following KPT: As a general rule, if your condition is made worse by any form of exercise you should stop doing it immediately! it may be that the particular form of exercise is not right for you in your current condition or that you are not doing the exercise correctly. This is especially true of intense exercise such as you will get using KPT. Please watch all the videos posted here on www.korepowertrainer.com to be sure that you are using proper technique before attempting KPT.
If you have specific questions or concerns, please feel free to send us an email at: korepowertrainer@gmail.com
-Dr. Berkoff
One important question I have been getting from a lot of you is, "Can anyone use Kore Power Trainer?" Patients with back pain are especially concerned about the possibility of making their condition worse and rightly so! Many of you have tried various therapies in the past, sometimes with not so great results. The last thing I want is for anyone to ever get hurt using Kore Power Trainer, but please understand that no form of treatment is risk-free. Any medicine, therapy, or exercise program which can help you to improve your condition can also potentially cause harm. Even over-the-counter medicines like Motrin or Tylenol can have potentially serious side effects. A good percentage of my clinical practice is devoted to treating injuries sustained during yoga, Pilates, and various other forms of exercise and conditioning training. It is always a good idea to speak with your doctor before starting any new exercise program. Prudence informs me to say the same about KPT. Please know that KPT was designed to be used widely by most–but not all–people, regardless of age or level of fitness. We have developed three different routines based on core strength and fitness level, so even beginners can get started using KPT. IT IS IMPORTANT TO USE PROPER TECHNIQUE. Before beginning KPT, be sure to watch the instructional videos on this website which demonstrate proper technique and highlight the common mistakes that increase risk of injury. Getting a strong core helps improve or eliminate back pain caused by most conditions. But there are some exceptions.
EXCEPTIONS:
1) Orthostatic Hypotension: The first and most notable contraindication to using Kore Power Trainer is orthostatic hypotension. When you stand up, the veins in your legs, if working properly, push blood upward to the heart which in turn pumps oxygenated blood to the brain. In some people the veins don't do their job, not enough blood gets to the heart and therefore, not enough blood and oxygen make it to the brain when they stand up. If you get dizzy when you sit-up in bed or get up too quickly from a chair, you probably have orthostatic hypotension and because KPT workouts involve going up and down, this form of exercise could make you feel light-headed or even cause you to faint. Speak with your doctor before attempting any new form of exercise. If you have orthostatic hypotension, it is especially important to ask your doctor if you can do exercise that works your torso in an up and down fashion. If you suffer from orthostatic hypotension, KPT is mostly likely not for you!
2) Acute Disc Herniation: Most adults have disc herniations in their spine. In fact, more than half of adults who have never experienced back pain have disc bulges and/or herniations on MRI evaluation. The presence of a disc lesion is not a diagnosis and is usually not the cause of back pain. KPT is safe and effective for many patients with disc herniations. However, acute disc injuries in which a herniation takes place suddenly, pinching a nerve, and resulting in severe pain, weakness, or numbness down the leg that does not respond to conservative treatments such as traction, manipulation, NSAIDs, etc., can be a serious mechanical problem which, during this acute stage, can be made worse by attempting any form of core strengthening. Please check with your doctor before attempting any core strengthening if you have or suspect you may have an acute disc herniation.
3) Acute Back Strain: KPT works by strengthening the muscles of the core. If you recently experienced a strain of one or more of those muscles, exercising them can make the strain worse or prevent them from healing. Acute strain injuries need time to rest and heal before you engage in intense exercise. Once the acute episode has passed, core strengthening is the key to preventing the next episode, so KPT makes perfect sense. Check with your doctor and get clearance for core strengthening, then set-up your KPT and get to work!
4) Advanced Osteoporosis: If your bones have been weakened by advanced osteoporosis, any form of intense exercise can potentially cause injury. Please check with your doctor before attempting any core strengthening if you have or suspect you may have an advanced osteoporosis.
5) Pain During or Following KPT: As a general rule, if your condition is made worse by any form of exercise you should stop doing it immediately! it may be that the particular form of exercise is not right for you in your current condition or that you are not doing the exercise correctly. This is especially true of intense exercise such as you will get using KPT. Please watch all the videos posted here on www.korepowertrainer.com to be sure that you are using proper technique before attempting KPT.
If you have specific questions or concerns, please feel free to send us an email at: korepowertrainer@gmail.com
-Dr. Berkoff
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