Chapter 7 Reducing the Incident and Likelihood of Injury
Sign or Symptom
Upper Body Discomfort –
heart issues
Excessive fatigue
Profuse sweating
Absence of sweating
when they should be
Pallor
Cyanosis
Dizziness or light-headedness
Confusion
Fainting
Dyspnoea
Nausea or vomitting
Visual Cues
(What might the trainer see?)
Rubbing or holding the body part, disori-
entation, discoloration in face, contorted
face
Poor posture, disorientation, lack of
focus, inattention
Sweating more than typical, Laboured
breathing
Hot red or flushed dry skin (may be
accompanied with rapid pulse, difficulty
breathing, strange behaviour, confu-
sion, agitation, disorientation)
Lack of colour in the skin (may be ac-
companied with sudden weakness,
sweatiness, and confusion)
A bluish discoloration of the skin, may
notice difficulty breathing, weakness
Confusion, stumbling, poor posture,
disorientation, lack of focus, inattention
They do not present with clear or or-
derly thought. Odd or out of the ordinary
behaviour
Acting overly anxious, generalized
weakness, paleness, excessive sweat-
ing, rapid heartbeat and rapid breathing
Shortness of breath, may appear anxious
The client may excuse themselves
quickly to the washroom (diarrhea, vom-
iting); Profuse sweating
Stop the exercise completely
Verbal Cues
(What might the client say?)
Describe chest, arm, jaw, teeth, ear,
or back discomfort
Describe an aching, burning, tight-
ness, or sensation of fullness in the
upper body
Reports excessively high RPE, re-
ports excessive fatigue, reports not
being able to do the intensity
Reports excessively high RPE,
reports excessive fatigue, reports
not being able to do the intensity,
inability to respond
Complain of difficulty with breathing,
ask to stop or discontinue, need to
cool down
May complain of shortness of
breath, fearful of continuing, want to
stop
Complain of: shortness of breath,
numbness or tingling in extremities,
chest pain, headache
Ask to sit down, ask to remove them-
selves and go for a slow walk, ask to
stop, they report that they do not feel
like themselves, reporting that they
feel like they are going to faint
Ask to sit down, ask to remove
themselves and go for a slow walk,
ask to stop, they report that they do
not feel like themselves
Report the following: feeling incred-
ibly dizzy, a dimming of vision or
brownout; buzzing or ringing in 1 or
both ears; feeling excessively hot,
light headedness, feeling nauseous
Report the sensation of difficult or
uncomfortable breathing
Report not feeling well, they ask to
sit or lie down, ask to remove them-
selves and go for a slow walk, they
ask to stop
Signs and Symptoms of Exercise Intolerance