SBC Special Populations and Modifications 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When working with a morbidly obese client on the stability ball, the trainer must FIRST verify:
- That the client owns a stability ball at home
- The ball's weight rating exceeds the client's body weight by a safe margin (Correct answer)
- That the client has a gym membership
- That the exercise room has a mirror
Correct answer: The ball's weight rating exceeds the client's body weight by a safe margin
The ball must have a burst resistance rating that safely exceeds the client's body weight to prevent catastrophic ball failure during exercises.
Question 2: A client with a history of hip replacement should AVOID which stability ball exercise without explicit surgeon clearance?
- Seated ball balance
- Deep hip flexion beyond 90 degrees during ball exercises (Correct answer)
- Gentle upper-body ball exercises
- Seated breathing exercises on the ball
Correct answer: Deep hip flexion beyond 90 degrees during ball exercises
Most hip replacement protocols restrict deep hip flexion beyond 90 degrees to prevent prosthetic dislocation; stability ball exercises that exceed this range require explicit surgeon clearance.
Question 3: For a client with type 2 diabetes, an important pre-exercise check before stability ball training is:
- Checking shoe brand
- Blood glucose level to ensure it is in a safe range (typically 100–250 mg/dL) (Correct answer)
- Verifying the client's age
- Checking room temperature
Correct answer: Blood glucose level to ensure it is in a safe range (typically 100–250 mg/dL)
Clients with type 2 diabetes must check blood glucose before exercise; exercising with too-low or too-high blood glucose levels poses serious health risks including hypoglycemia.
Question 4: Which stability ball modification best serves a client with chronic knee pain during squat-pattern exercises?
- Remove all lower-body exercises
- Ball wall squat limiting knee flexion to a pain-free range (typically no more than 60 degrees) (Correct answer)
- Deep squat to the floor using the ball
- Single-leg squat on the ball without support
Correct answer: Ball wall squat limiting knee flexion to a pain-free range (typically no more than 60 degrees)
A ball wall squat with limited knee flexion angle reduces compressive forces on the painful knee while maintaining the functional squat pattern within a safe range.
Question 5: Post-mastectomy clients should avoid which stability ball position without physician clearance?
- Seated ball balance
- Prone exercises placing direct pressure on the chest (Correct answer)
- Upper back extension
- Gentle arm circles while seated
Correct answer: Prone exercises placing direct pressure on the chest
Prone positions place direct pressure on the chest wall, which can be painful and potentially harmful to healing tissue following mastectomy without physician clearance.
Question 6: For a client with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), stability ball exercise intensity should be guided by:
- Maximum heart rate formulas only
- Dyspnea (breathlessness) scale and ratings of perceived exertion, keeping intensity moderate (Correct answer)
- Ignoring breathing symptoms during exercise
- Reaching maximal breathlessness each session
Correct answer: Dyspnea (breathlessness) scale and ratings of perceived exertion, keeping intensity moderate
COPD clients experience exercise-limiting breathlessness; monitoring the dyspnea scale and perceived exertion ensures intensity stays at a level where breathing is challenged but not unsafe.
SBC Special Populations and Modifications 2
When working with a morbidly obese client on the stability ball, the trainer must FIRST verify: