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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be upset with PT or is it my fault ?

48 replies

ISeeARainbow · 03/12/2018 15:36

My DP & I have a PT twice a week. We’ve been going to him for a while & we all get on great.

A couple of weeks ago we had one of our sessions in a wood.
Towards the end of the session PT gave us an exercise to do. I stated I really didn’t want to do it but got lots of ‘ come on Rainbow you’ll be fine you don’t want Mr Rainbow beating you do you ? ‘
Anyway I ended slipping & gouging my skin down to bone ‘
I ended up in A & E , I’m currently attending the doctors 3x a week for wound care, I’m on antibiotics as the wound is infected, I can’t walk any long distance because it starts bleeding (it bled through the dressing & my trousers last week after 10 minutes of walking) & I can’t wear jeans etc because the dressing is so big. The nurse said this morning that I can expect a very long recovery.
We are due to have an European city break next week which I now feel will involve lots of coffee drinking rather than sight seeing.
He’s asked us to leave a review on his FB page. I do like him but think he didn’t take client care into consideration

OP posts:

howabout · 03/12/2018 16:13

A good PT should be adjusting and adapting to the needs and capabilities of individual clients, not pushing her on to compete with her male partner. I wouldn't be leaving feedback atm but maybe after he has learned the lesson from your adverse outcome and given you some complementary rehab sessions.

That said, accidents happen and I have a broken leg from tripping on a step with no personal trainer encouraging me. Here's to a speedy recovery

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 03/12/2018 16:15

I don't think it's his fault, although I completely understand how you feel as I had PT sessions in the summer and misjudged one of the exercises and end up with 2 black eyes, a broken nose and a swollen mouth. It wasn't the trainers fault though, she did everything she could to make it safe.

MissConductUS · 03/12/2018 16:17

I'm surprised he wants you to write a review - sounds like he failed to risk assess.

He may want the review in case he gets sued. If it's an okay review he can use it to assert that OP wasn't badly done by.

I'm a bit perplexed by the exercise happening in a wood, but whatever. Indoors would have been safer.

MonsterTequila · 03/12/2018 16:18

Hmmm he saw you slip, then encouraged you to do it again & the bench was clearly slippery? I’d say that’s negligent of him. I know it’s far harder to create good excercises outdoors when it’s wet but that’s why PTs have the option of hiring out halls etc.

snowflakealert · 03/12/2018 16:19

I would tend to disagree with others, and say that I do think that the PT is at fault here. He is in charge of your training, and instructed you to use a piece of equipment (the bench) that was unsafe, despite you saying that you didn't want to. You carried out the exercise, slipped and gashed your leg open.

Poor judgement/risk assessment on his part.

Whether you want to take it any further, maybe, maybe not - but he is seriously pushing his luck in asking for positive feedback. Does he know how bad the injury is, and how long it will take to recover?

diddl · 03/12/2018 16:21

" I slipped initially & stopped which is when he was ‘encouraging ‘ me. "

Surely both at fault then?

ohdearmymistake · 03/12/2018 16:21

Did your DH go across the bench either before or after you?

SoupDragon · 03/12/2018 16:23

Honestly, I wojld class it as your "fault" as you didn't have to do it. You chose to do it after encouragement. It was just an accident.

I hope you heal quicker than you fear!

Jaxhog · 03/12/2018 16:28

I’d call him on the phone and tell him you wanted to give him constructive feedback rather than write about it on FB.

Take action, depending on what he says. Did he contact you to see how you were, as presumably he saw you slip over?

Although it was an accident, he DID choose the location of your exercise and he DID choose the exercise you did. Unless you were messing about, he does have to take some responsibility for what happened.

JessicaJonesJacket · 03/12/2018 16:36

I think he misjudged it. It is a PT's job to encourage you but he should have assessed that it was slippy, you were tired/reluctant and that combination meant an accident was more likely than in other circumstances.
It's horrendous when your life is changed by an injury so I understand your frustration and need to blame him. So he's probably not as responsible as you think but I do think he has some responsibility.

quantiestillecanisinfenestra · 03/12/2018 16:37

I think you're right to be annoyed. It's his job to push you, but it's also his job to risk assess activities. If you said you didn't want to do something because the setting looked slippery, and he pushed you to do it anyway, and you slipped and hurt yourself, then to me that sounds like good cause to complain.
Hope you make a speedy recovery, whatever you decide on

cakecakecheese · 03/12/2018 16:44

If you don't want to leave a review then don't. If he challenges you on it say you just don't feel up to it given your injury and leave it like that.

Hope you recover quickly.

quantiestillecanisinfenestra · 03/12/2018 16:45

For context, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, otherwise known as the nineties....
I was 'encouraged' to get on a horse that was way too big for me. He was a total softie normally but there was no way I could have controlled him in an emergency.
Horse got spooked by a strong gust of wind and bolted. I ended up falling under him. I could very easily have been killed. Obviously I wasn't, but I've had intermittent back pain ever since. Nothing debilitating, but I was extremely lucky. My mum saw me go under said horse and when she saw me lying on the ground she and the instructor thought I was dead.
There was never any risk assessment, as far as I'm aware. Not meaning at all to derail the thread, but this is why it's important.

theworldistoosmall · 03/12/2018 16:45

Interesting responses.
A few weeks ago a parent mentioned her child had been injured in an activity. A risk assessment should have been done and there's question marks an around this. THe op iirc is getting told to take things further.

PT should have carried out a risk assessment, question marks if they did. The op is being told it was an accident.

In both cases, the child and the op carried out the activity based on what they would assume was the professional knowledge of the person. In ops case, even though she had slipped the PT pushed her to do it again. Many of you are saying that's the job of the PT to push you out of your limits. Yet others are saying she should have refused.

And not a chance would I leave him FB. Had he ever asked you before this to leave FB? because the sceptic in me thinks its a ploy to cover his own ass if you do take things further.

Missingstreetlife · 03/12/2018 16:49

Does he have insurance you can claim on?

I would cancel the break and stay home with feet up. Travelling is not going to help your leg. Chinese herbs and acupuncture, or a homeopath may help healing process. Definately take zinc and vitamin c.

Missingstreetlife · 03/12/2018 16:55

Can you claim on his insurance?

I definately would cancel the trip, it won't be good to travel in this state.
Chinese herbs and acupuncture may help healing process. Or homeopath.
Definately take vitamin c and zinc

InfiniteVariety · 03/12/2018 16:58

I would probably leave no comment at all and if he asked me why, I'd tell him

ChocOrCheese · 03/12/2018 17:05

That is unfortunate and I hope you feel better soon.

I have on more than one occasion refused flat out to do an exercise a PT has suggested. On other occasions I have had a go but realised on rep 1 that the exercise is too risky for my slightly dodgy knee and stopped.

My PT knows that I work flat out and do not shirk in any way, so when I refuse it is for a good reason.

Maybe the PT did not see the original slip. Maybe Mr Rainbow was going at it with gusto and the PT did not see an obvious issue.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of it, you need to have a good working relationship with a PT. If you are minded to continue the sessions when you recover then I think you need to have a good, honest chat with the PT about what happened, why it happened, and how you want matters to be approached in future.

It may also be a question of agreeing on a way to frame your objections.

e.g. if you say "I don't want to do this" then it might be agreeable for the PT to push a bit in case you are just feeling a bit lazy, but if you say "I don't feel safe doing this" then either PT says "OK do this instead" or PT asks you to explain why you don't feel safe and then either shows you a way to make it safer or agrees you don't do it.

Valasca · 03/12/2018 17:31

@theworldistoosmall what’s confusing you about the difference between a child and an adult? The trainer isn’t responsible for the OPs safety in the same manner as if she was a child. He can’t even physically stop her doing something dangerous, if she insisted. Unlike a child.

theworldistoosmall · 03/12/2018 17:38

I didn't say I was confused. I said interesting comments.

The pt is reasonable though hence risk assessments are a requirement. THose aren't done to keep the PT or another professional safe. They are designed to keep the client safe.

In the two examples I gave, the people running the session encouraged participation. Neither of the leaders tried to stop the adult or child from taking part.

It wasn't the op or the child saying up yours, this is dangerous I'm going to do it anyway. The leader encouraged them to do the activity which lead to injuries.

theworldistoosmall · 03/12/2018 17:39

Responsible not reasonable

Valasca · 03/12/2018 18:16

I guessed you were confused as the situations aren’t comparable and I’ve no idea why you’re trying to do so.

theworldistoosmall · 03/12/2018 18:43

Why aren't they?
Ignore the age for a moment.

The leader encourages participants to do an activity that could be potentially dangerous. A person participates and has an injury.

A leader encourages the participant to do an activity that could be dangerous and the participant has already slipped once. Participant has an injury.

Both leaders pushed the participants to do the activity. Neither of the injured ignored advice given by the leader. They trusted that the leader knew what they were doing to keep them safe.

One is being told to take it further. The other oh well, shit happens.

As a leader of an activity, it is your responsibility to constantly assess the changes as they come about. A part of the PT's RA should have included other activities if the bench is slippy, or if y piece of equipment isn't usable. Not well fuck it the bench is slippy they can carry on using it.

I am comparing both because both activities were overseen by 'professionals' who should have known what they were doing. And that although both pushed in different ways, one is being told take things further and this one is divided. Both accidents resulted in injury.

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