The proliferation phase of soft tissue repair peaks around this time and is characterised by fibroblast activity and angiogenesis: collagen is placed for initial strength and vascular networks develop around the site to enhance oxygen supply (amongst other repair mechanisms). The second week of undergraduate physiotherapy is, in some ways, similar.
Pre-lab preparation (gathering of resources, writing down of answers) helps the continuity of laboratories and social networks enhance the learning experience. This week consisted of two neuro-anatomy laboratories, two massage labs, one strapping lab and a physiology lab (amongst other lectures)! I'll talk you through the labs this week.
Red blood cells (RBC). You can expand, shrink and make them explode. Boom! In the physiology lab we observed the effect of hyper-, hypo-, and iso-osmotic substrates on red blood cells. The intracellular and extracellular fluid shifts in or out of the RBC changing its size. In some cases (substrate dependent) the cell collapses (haemolysis).
Underwear is the uniform of choice in our 'Rehabilitation Science 1' labs... when else would we get to show off our gorgeous and well defined bodies?! Jokes aside, it seems that stripping down is an essential part of the paper to allow for the application of massage. Today was the last day of massage - next week we begin posture assessment. During today's class I made a joke to an older lecturer that I immediately regretted: she was informing us that the posture assessment session would require us in our underwear and in the past she had photographed students - I asked whether she would let us assess her posture! Wooops! I hope she saw the humour in that! I'm sure I will be the class model for the next lab as punishment.
Throw down an anchor, throw down some supports and lock them in! Thankfully we don't drown students (and their friends) here at Otago (other than with a high workload). Rather, this is the process for strapping joints! The only painful aspect is removing the tape, which closely resembles waxing body hairs off. During the lab intermission a few students, myself included, started a massage train... physio students have a good touch!
Anatomy labs are funny. We have all these toys (tools?) to play with! A highlight of the last neuro-anat lab was watching a classmate place a 'half brain' model into a skull and have the other half of the brain in the mouth. You'll have to remember that the models look realistic! For the future orthopaedic surgeon reading this article, the reconstruction of the TMJ with blue-tack is not sufficient in the long term (nor the short term).
We get cool abbreviations and acronyms to learn such as 'PRoM'. "I'm going to take you through your PRoM" does not mean going to a school dance, rather its a 'passive range of movement'.
The flat is now full - all the rooms are occupied with students studying in the health science arena. Sharing a flat with four others is great. They are so friendly and well organised!
Tomorrow (Saturday) I have a sport medic class, which will allow me to sign up to be a sport medic for a sports team! Woohoo! Also, there are some social sports being organised between the professional health science departments (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy etc) which I look to participate in.
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