Bryan

Thanks for the counter points Kevin.

I deffinately agree with the HIIT comment, but I find that a lot of people have difficulty committing to the intensity, especially if they are already active in other physical activities such as MA.

As for the PT and Doctors...my state allows PT's to do assessments but they are also required to have a PHD to get thier license.

Regarding trainers, like any field there are good and bad. Kinda like martial arts schools. Some have good things to teach while others took a test and got piece of paper. I would expect a good trainer to have more than a cert to back them up. Like most things, experinence is a critical factor in someones qualifications.

An injury is one thing, a long standing injury that has never been evaluated by a medical professional is another. If you have insurance, it's usually cheaper to be safe than sorry later on.

good luck on whatever path you use