Day 2

Day 2

On Day 2, I was at Ragged Mountain Physical Therapy from 8:30–12:00 and 1:00–2:30 for a total of 5 hours. Throughout the day, I continued observing different patients and treatments. I learned about an AFO, which stands for Assisted Functional Orthotic. It is used to help keep the ankle and foot at a 90° angle. One elderly woman came in with ankle pain after landing on it. She had an X-ray, which showed no fracture, so it is likely a soft tissue injury. She also has neuropathy, which affects feeling in her fingers, hands, toes, and feet. Because of this, she struggles with proprioception and sensing where her feet are, which is why AFOs are helpful. There is currently no clear solution or known cause for neuropathy. She seemed somewhat dismayed when talking about this, but also accepting of the fact that there is no real explanation or treatment. During her session, Diane focused on promoting blood flow to the injured ankle through light massage and Achilles stretching and mobilization. Despite her condition, she maintained a positive attitude. At one point during the day, the power went out for about 2 hours. This limited access to electrical equipment, so it was interesting to see how Diane adapted her approach without relying on technology. 

Another patient was an elderly woman, 79 years old, who had jogged 3 miles that morning. She has had pain in her upper neck and trapezius area since February. Her doctor believed it was muscular and gave her trigger point injections in the trapezius. She is very active, regularly swimming laps and playing tennis, but these activities have not made the pain better or worse. Diane had her perform active range of motion (AROM) neck movements and then evaluated her while she was lying down. She believed the facet joints in her neck may be locked, and noted tightness in the levator scapulae and trapezius muscles. The pain seems to be centered around the cervical spine, where many of these muscles attach near the occiput. The patient mentioned that massaging the muscle area feels good. 

During the day, Diane also had me and Elsa help with maintenance by replacing the water in the hydrocollator, which stores heat packs. We drained it, cleaned it with dish soap, and rinsed it out. The heat packs contain clay, and over time sediment builds up at the bottom of the container, which is what we had to get rid of.

I also observed the treatment of a 90-year-old man who had previously come in for knee issues but was there for shoulder pain. The goal was to make him more comfortable. He has stage 4 prostate cancer, which he has been treating for about 3.5 to 4 years, and previously had bladder cancer that has since healed. The cancer has spread to his spine, shoulder, and quadriceps. He was there with his wife, and it was clear they had a strong relationship. He had been told he could focus on managing pain, but he chose to pursue more aggressive treatment. His decision was not necessarily about living longer, but about not wanting to give up. His mindset stood out, especially given his situation. He said "It takes less muscles in the face to smile then to frown." That got to me, someone like him who has been given every reason to back down, finding ways to breakthrough. It makes me want to focus this project more on attitudes during rehabilitation and how it impacts recovery.

Hours today: 5

Total Hours: 9