PHTY354 MSK focused on disorders, assessment and treatment of the elbow. I find it amusing that disorders of joints etc are given colloquial names ... take the elbow for example, there is tennis elbow, golfers elbow and nursemaid's elbow. Where there is no colloquial name, the physiotherapist will often diagnose a condition using technical jargon from what the patient describes! For example... Patient "I've got pain on the outer side of my elbow", Physio "okay, let me examine your elbow..." [some time later] Physio "you've got lateral epicondylalgia", Patient "you are a great physiotherapist, that was such a fast diagnosis!"... Basically pain of the outer elbow translates to lateral epicondylalgia: lateral (outter) epicondyl- (elbow) algia (pain). Physiotherapists' are geniuses!
PHTY354 Neuro introduced us to vestibular rehabilitation. When a patient presents with vertigo we send them down to the tuck shop to fetch us a BBQ roll! The physiotherapist is wise to the statistics which indicate that only one treatment is likely to be needed to fix the patient's vertigo, in light of this the physiotherapist must make the most of the patient's appointment before probably never seeing them again (tip for surviving physio: get a free lunch when you can). In return, we can perform a technique called the BBQ roll or alternatively the Dix-Hallpike manoeuvre to cure BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). Magic!
I'm working my way through PHTY254 Neuro modules. Currently I'm at activity six module two... I've got some work to do over the semester break as there are 35 activities (ten modules). One case study I answered was to do with Glove & Stocking altered sensations. You're probably thinking that New Zealander's strategy for clothe shopping is to buy one size too small. No? Or you're thinking that students are stuck wearing shorts and t-shirts over winter, and these altered sensations are a frostbite-like numbness to our extremities? Unfortunately the advise as a physio isn't as simple as "buy clothes that fit" or "Kathmandu currently have a winter sale for merino socks and mittens". An altered sensation in the pattern of a stocking (lower limb) or glove (upper limb) usually indicates a neuropathy. Often this is associated with muscle weakness, cramps, altered gait, contractures etc. Physiotherapy can help with manual therapy, exercise prescription as well as other therapies depending on the impairment being treated.
I've finished my second week of neurological rehabilitation placement at Umove clinic. I got to use hot wax therapy and electrical stimulation (TENS) on a patient! So far Umove has provided many opportunities to try a wide range of interventions. I was asked to give a brief presentation about apraxia last week, and so I prepared a brief powerpoint and presented my findings to my peers with me on Umove placement. I'm not a great group speaker (definitely prefer one-on-one conversations, like that with clients/patients) so after a dismal presentation I put my slides up for everyone to view in their own time. Apraxia is recognised by physiotherapists, but further assessment and specific interventions can be delivered by occupational therapists.
I've finished my second week of neurological rehabilitation placement at Umove clinic. I got to use hot wax therapy and electrical stimulation (TENS) on a patient! So far Umove has provided many opportunities to try a wide range of interventions. I was asked to give a brief presentation about apraxia last week, and so I prepared a brief powerpoint and presented my findings to my peers with me on Umove placement. I'm not a great group speaker (definitely prefer one-on-one conversations, like that with clients/patients) so after a dismal presentation I put my slides up for everyone to view in their own time. Apraxia is recognised by physiotherapists, but further assessment and specific interventions can be delivered by occupational therapists.
Talking about seeds... here is an update on my mango plants!
April fools day was on Wednesday and although no pranks were pulled in class, I did discover a cool feature on google maps! PACMAN!! Yes that's right, googlemaps has turned the streets into a pacman game! So I spent a couple of minutes playing pacman around the streets of the school of physiotherapy! It's a shortened week, with Easter weekend starting on Friday. Next week is our mid-semester break!
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