I read a really inspiring story about a man where physical therapy changed his whole life. He suffered from hemodialysis and was very obese. He was stuck in a wheelchair and didn't do much with his life, so he became increasingly depressed. Life was going downhill for Mr. J, and after failed home care, he almost gave up hope.
So, the author Jo Reeder, PT, put him on a program to try and help him through his physical and psychological problems. It was difficult at first for the Physical Therapist to set something up, because he was at such a bad state, he couldn't get up from his wheelchair and couldn't fit his feet in the exercise bike pedals. But with some adjusting and extra help from other staff, they were able to work it out for Mr. J to do his exercises. After he started doing them regularly, there was improvement shown. So Reeder enhanced his therapy with his improvement. The office provided him with a flexible knee brace, and now, he needs no help from a wheelchair, and can go up the stairs independently. He also can now drive his wife to the grocery store, where before neither of them could drive. He had muscle spasms before, and they now never show up. He keeps on his daily exercise routine, and he couldn't be happier.
It's awesome to see how much physical therapists can help people. Even in the worst conditions, there is always something they can do to help. To help and watch a man turn his whole life around must have been an amazing experience.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Improving Balance and Preventing Falls
The youtube video I watched would be very helpful for elderly people that are worried about falling. It was very informative about the risk of injury if a senior were to fall, as well as what to do to prevent it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GjKk7ZtJsE
There are long term effects with a bad fall for weak elders such as impaired mobility, decreased function, dependence on others, as well as injuries. One third of elderly people fall each year, and every hour someone dies from a bad fall. So there are plenty of reasons for an elder to see a physical therapist if worried about a fall. What a PT does in this situation is they do a balance assessment for the patient, and see what can be done to decrease the risk. There are different tests that can be done to assess stability and balance, as well as the qualities of gait mechanics that can result in a fall. Different things can be worked on as well as exercises that can definitely help.
There are questions that elders can ask themselves about if they've ever fallen, and the details beyond that as well as other impairments that they might have.
A physical therapist can assess the patient to see what exercises may help, which include leg strengthening exercises, coordination exercises, as well as balance exercises.
MoveforwardPT.com is the site for an elder to find a physical therapist.
I liked that this video showed what to do for seniors with or without physical problems, because even those who don't still need some physical therapy at times, and it's a smart idea to seek one out because they're very helpful to their patients. Also the video shows the PT helping an old woman, and it's pretty cool to see how friendly and encouraging they are to their patients.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GjKk7ZtJsE
There are long term effects with a bad fall for weak elders such as impaired mobility, decreased function, dependence on others, as well as injuries. One third of elderly people fall each year, and every hour someone dies from a bad fall. So there are plenty of reasons for an elder to see a physical therapist if worried about a fall. What a PT does in this situation is they do a balance assessment for the patient, and see what can be done to decrease the risk. There are different tests that can be done to assess stability and balance, as well as the qualities of gait mechanics that can result in a fall. Different things can be worked on as well as exercises that can definitely help.
There are questions that elders can ask themselves about if they've ever fallen, and the details beyond that as well as other impairments that they might have.
A physical therapist can assess the patient to see what exercises may help, which include leg strengthening exercises, coordination exercises, as well as balance exercises.
MoveforwardPT.com is the site for an elder to find a physical therapist.
I liked that this video showed what to do for seniors with or without physical problems, because even those who don't still need some physical therapy at times, and it's a smart idea to seek one out because they're very helpful to their patients. Also the video shows the PT helping an old woman, and it's pretty cool to see how friendly and encouraging they are to their patients.
Hamstring Exercises
I watched a youtube video that showed an exercise for strengthening the back of the knee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjUAH54F6zE
This was a pretty informative video, showing exactly what to do when doing the exercise. What is needed is a resistance band, which I have found is very useful for many different different physical therapy exercises. In this one, you loop it at the end and put your foot in it, while either someone holds the other end or you yourself tie it to to a strong surface. It's good that the exercise can be done on your own too, because it's helpful for people who live alone, or have no one around to assist them. The resistance band creates a tension that forces you to use the muscles in the back of the leg and knee. That is the point of the exercise. The video informs you that if there is pain there, to stop and get professional help about what is hurting and why. This was a helpful video for those trying to strengthen those muscles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjUAH54F6zE
This was a pretty informative video, showing exactly what to do when doing the exercise. What is needed is a resistance band, which I have found is very useful for many different different physical therapy exercises. In this one, you loop it at the end and put your foot in it, while either someone holds the other end or you yourself tie it to to a strong surface. It's good that the exercise can be done on your own too, because it's helpful for people who live alone, or have no one around to assist them. The resistance band creates a tension that forces you to use the muscles in the back of the leg and knee. That is the point of the exercise. The video informs you that if there is pain there, to stop and get professional help about what is hurting and why. This was a helpful video for those trying to strengthen those muscles.
Practicing Your Knowledge
I visited my mom last week, and she was doing all these different stretches with her leg and ankle, that are still a little messed up from a car accident she was in earlier this year. I asked her if she needed any help, and she wanted me to do what her physical therapist helps her with. So I got a very hands on experience with what a physical therapist does with an accident victim, specializing on the right leg.
It was pretty basic, I helped her stretch her leg while she was laying down at first. Then we worked on walking and going up the stairs. It was a good experience because I was able to practice helping an actual person. Like I used my arm and leg muscles rather than just my finger muscles when typing these blogs, that was the biggest difference between helping my mom through stretches and reading about a woman's stretches. I think these types of hands-on experiences play a big role in helping to prepare for the job being researched. Articles and talking about the job are much different than actually experiencing it. I liked this a lot better too because it gave me the chance to understand how to encourage and support a patient, through words and motions.
It was pretty basic, I helped her stretch her leg while she was laying down at first. Then we worked on walking and going up the stairs. It was a good experience because I was able to practice helping an actual person. Like I used my arm and leg muscles rather than just my finger muscles when typing these blogs, that was the biggest difference between helping my mom through stretches and reading about a woman's stretches. I think these types of hands-on experiences play a big role in helping to prepare for the job being researched. Articles and talking about the job are much different than actually experiencing it. I liked this a lot better too because it gave me the chance to understand how to encourage and support a patient, through words and motions.
Contemplating Controversy
There is a controversial issue in physical therapy on whether or not parents should be involved in physical therapy sessions.
One side says that parents should not be involved because they may interfere with the session or become a distraction for the child in the therapy session, which would waste valuable time for the child to improve and for the therapist who is trying to help improve the childs physical condition.
On the other side, parents want to be involved in order to help their child, and to be aware of the treatment plan. Parents usually are very worried about their children's well being, and want to be there to support them through their disability. Being there could also show them what to do outside of the sessions, at home, so that therapy can be continued outside of the office.
Primarily, the issue here has to do with what will benefit the child most. There is a difference between interference and involvement, and that is what they are trying to decide between.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2732325
One side says that parents should not be involved because they may interfere with the session or become a distraction for the child in the therapy session, which would waste valuable time for the child to improve and for the therapist who is trying to help improve the childs physical condition.
On the other side, parents want to be involved in order to help their child, and to be aware of the treatment plan. Parents usually are very worried about their children's well being, and want to be there to support them through their disability. Being there could also show them what to do outside of the sessions, at home, so that therapy can be continued outside of the office.
Primarily, the issue here has to do with what will benefit the child most. There is a difference between interference and involvement, and that is what they are trying to decide between.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2732325
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Remixing Knowledge
The remix I looked at was a brochure by the Maine Medical Center for Sports Medicine Physical Therapy. This brochure included a lot of information about physical therapy in general, as well as specifically for their medical center.
- The front page consists of the title of the center, the address, as well as a number and picture. The picture attracts people to the brochure, and there are also colors in the brochure. It gives the office policy right away as well, which gives you what to do if you can't make an appointment, and informing you that if you don't show up for 2 appointments, you will not be scheduled again. I think this is probably included because either it happens a lot, so they want to let you know, or they want to prevent it from happening so they want to show you right away.
- The next page gives you the services provided from the center. These include manual therapy exercises, a therapeutic exercise plan, body mechanics and postural education, and modalities. Each of these services is bolded and includes a list of examples under each one to give the specifics of the services. This is a good way of giving detail, and being organized.
- The next page is more of a general description of what physical therapy is, and informs that a doctor will refer you to what physical therapy is appropriate to benefit the patient. I think this is a good add on to the brochure because if a person is questioning whether he/she actually needs physical therapy, this will help them decide, and also personalizes it to their company ensuring the patient that they will be personally instructed.
- Treatment goals and what to expect is what is on the next page. This gives details for what the medical center hopes to do for the patient, and exactly what to expect, allowing the potential patient to get a clear idea of what the center will provide for them.
- Lastly, the brochure lets you know what to bring and what to wear, so an idea of what a visit will look like.
This brochure did a really good job of including information, general and specific, for potential patients. There were also colors and pictures throughout it to make it better looking and attractive to the eye. It included everything it needed to, but kept it at an organized and light level, so people would not get bored of it. The audience could be any adult who can read, or even a kid who could read could give it to their parents who could set up an appointment. This was a great brochure for the Maine Medical Center.
Brochure site: http://www.mmc.org/workfiles/mmc_family_medicine/SPT_SportsMedicine/SM_PTBrochure2009.pdf
Recognizing Significance
Parkinson's Patients Benefit From Physical Therapy
(http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/251159.php)
I read a news story reporting the significance of physical therapy for those with Parkinson's Disease. Usually, drug therapy is used for those with this disease, which includes problems with movement, cognition, neurobehavior, as well as sensory difficulties. The physical therapy methods that are used to treat patients included dance, treadmill training, and other exercises. There was a study showing the clear improvement in patients. The most positive outcomes from physical therapy treatmeant were shown in three different areas-- Gait Speed, Berg balance scale (developed to measure balance among elderly people with balance function impairment by assessing the performance of functional tasks), and a clinician-rated disability scale. Improvements in these areas have proven to be meaningful for Parkinson's patients.
Physical therapy can be helpful for people in many different cases. Physically, with exercises, as well as mentally, to get people in the right mind for improvement and get them along through tough treatments. Physical therapists play an important role in the healing process for those with physical impairments, those who got in a freak accident, and many more. There is a very diverse range of patients and cases, which is cool because physical therapists learn and experience a lot through their career and have to expect almost anything.
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