Hello DPT Community,
Recently, a DPT student underwent surgery to alleviate pain she was having. I asked her to share her story so you could learn from her experiences. Here is her story, in her own words:
When I 22 years old and just started PT school, I was working as a PT tech at a local nursing home. One day I was instructed to go get a patient from their room for an evaluation. When I walked in the room the patient was sitting on the bed and I had to transfer him to his wheelchair to take him to the PT room. I asked his wife who was smaller than I am if she is able to transfer him to the wheelchair by herself and she replied. “Yes and my daughter helps a little.” Her daughter looked roughly 9 years old and I thought surely I can transfer him to the wheelchair myself. I am young and have been a college athlete. I was successful with transferring the patient and thought later that day my back felt a bit stiff. I woke up the next morning and could barely make it out of bed for class. I thought okay I have had aches and pains before from playing sports. I will just give it time and it will go away. Six weeks later it hadn’t gone away and it was still feeling very uncomfortable to sit or move. I went to a neurologist and found out that I have a bulging disk at level L4-L5 and a ruptured disk at level L5-S1. I was instructed to do physical therapy which I was doing with my professor’s help. The physical therapy helped my symptoms for about 14 months. I called my doctor and told him that my pain was coming back and physical therapy is just not helping anymore. He allowed me 3 epidural steroid injections. The first 2 lasted approximately 4-6 weeks. The 3rd injection lasted about 4 months. I woke up one morning and rolled over to get out of bed and bam I felt this bad pain in my back and started the same symptoms all over again. I thought okay I will just do my exercises and see if that helps and some Advil or ibuprofen. None of this helped at all and I was in so much pain I couldn’t continue to do my exercises. I found positions that would relieve my pain. I was leaning over to the left to unload that side while sitting and then began to limp because the radiating pain the progressed further and further down my leg each week. After 5 weeks of pain I finally called the doctor and said I have to see you ASAP. My appointment was scheduled one week away and I would just have to take the pain until then. As the pain just kept getting worse and worse and on the day before I was to see the doctor and get another MRI it was unbearable. I was in the most unbelievable amount of pain I had to leave class early and two of my professors had to drive me home. I thought if I can go home and find a comfortable position that I can make it to tomorrow without going to the ER like my professors had suggested. I got home and the pain was worse lying down and I could not find any position that relieved my pain even the slightest bit. I ended up going to the ER that night for pain medicine that didn’t even touch the pain but just made me tired instead. The following day I had the MRI done and saw the doctor right after that. After a short conversation he decided I was having surgery. I asked him when does he want to do the surgery and he said, “let’s do it tomorrow.” I thought “oh my gosh” things are just moving too fast but I knew that there was a big chance of being relieved of my pain immediately after surgery. I expected this because I had tried every conservative treatment that they wanted before resulting in surgery. He performed a hemilaminectomy with a microdiscectomy and when I woke up I was pain free. It was an outpatient surgery and I was required to walk, urinate, and be able to eat and drink and keep it down. During my walk I asked the nurse if we could walk further since I hadn’t walked in 6 weeks without pain. My surgery was on a Wednesday and I went home on Wednesday. The following Monday I was able to return back to school. It was the best I have felt in 2 years. Some slight discomfort was tolerable compared to the intense pain I was in before. I would recommend this surgery to anyone that has tried all options of conservative treatment. It’s has been 2 weeks later and I am doing great!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Baseball, Health Care and Statistics!
Hey DPT Community!
Who would have thought that someone would have rolled three of my loves into one thing to read? Baseball, Statistics and Health Care! This New York Times article look at how we can improve the health care system in the USA!
slesh
Who would have thought that someone would have rolled three of my loves into one thing to read? Baseball, Statistics and Health Care! This New York Times article look at how we can improve the health care system in the USA!
slesh
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Amazing Technology!
OK DPT Community!
This is a much watch! Open this 60 minutes video and watch it. If this technology continues to develop, you will be on the edge of an amazing revolution in rehabilitation. I remember 25 years ago working with patients who had suffered spinal cord injuries giving them a lesson in the pathomechanics of their injury. They would always ask if the spinal cord would just regrow? Of course, my answer was the wires have been cut and there is no way for the brain to communicate with the body. But NOW THERE IS!
Together with you in His service,
slesh
This is a much watch! Open this 60 minutes video and watch it. If this technology continues to develop, you will be on the edge of an amazing revolution in rehabilitation. I remember 25 years ago working with patients who had suffered spinal cord injuries giving them a lesson in the pathomechanics of their injury. They would always ask if the spinal cord would just regrow? Of course, my answer was the wires have been cut and there is no way for the brain to communicate with the body. But NOW THERE IS!
Together with you in His service,
slesh
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
PTJ -- Journal announcement
PTJ PODCAST ALERT!
ELECTION 2008 AND BEYOND: Proposed Health Care Plans; Future of Disability
Research
RELEASE DATE: October 28, 2008
WHERE: http://www.ptjournal.org/cgi/content/full/88/10/DC2
WHO: Anthony Delitto, PT, PhD, FAPTA, Chair, and Alan Jette, PT, PhD,
FAPTA, Member, PTJ Steering Committee; and Justin Moore, PT, DPT, APTA
Director of Federal Government Affairs. Moderator: Rebecca Craik, PT, PhD,
FAPTA, Editor in Chief.
Part 1 - The Presidential Candidates' Health Care Proposals
Delitto, Jette, and Moore provide summary and analysis of the health care
plans proposed by Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. Be informed when
you cast your ballot on November 4. Running time: 17:43 (8,318 KB)
Part 2 - Beyond Election 2008: Disability Research
Regardless of who is in the White House following the November 4th
election, what does the future hold for disability research in the United
States? Running time: 22:19 (10,473 KB)
Note: PTJ and APTA do not endorse, support, or take a position on the
candidates or their health care platforms.
For more PTJ podcasts--including audio abstracts, discussions, interviews,
and clinical summaries--visit http://www.ptjournal.org/misc/podcasts.dtl.
Questions? Contact PTJ's managing editor at janreynolds@apta.org.
ELECTION 2008 AND BEYOND: Proposed Health Care Plans; Future of Disability
Research
RELEASE DATE: October 28, 2008
WHERE: http://www.ptjournal.org/cgi/content/full/88/10/DC2
WHO: Anthony Delitto, PT, PhD, FAPTA, Chair, and Alan Jette, PT, PhD,
FAPTA, Member, PTJ Steering Committee; and Justin Moore, PT, DPT, APTA
Director of Federal Government Affairs. Moderator: Rebecca Craik, PT, PhD,
FAPTA, Editor in Chief.
Part 1 - The Presidential Candidates' Health Care Proposals
Delitto, Jette, and Moore provide summary and analysis of the health care
plans proposed by Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. Be informed when
you cast your ballot on November 4. Running time: 17:43 (8,318 KB)
Part 2 - Beyond Election 2008: Disability Research
Regardless of who is in the White House following the November 4th
election, what does the future hold for disability research in the United
States? Running time: 22:19 (10,473 KB)
Note: PTJ and APTA do not endorse, support, or take a position on the
candidates or their health care platforms.
For more PTJ podcasts--including audio abstracts, discussions, interviews,
and clinical summaries--visit http://www.ptjournal.org/misc/podcasts.dtl.
Questions? Contact PTJ's managing editor at janreynolds@apta.org.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Intriguing Reading...
SBU DPT Community,
I saw this story online at cnn.com and couldn't help but watch it. It had so many elements that grabbed my attention, but most notably: an athlete and spinal cord injury. Those who know me best, know that these are my two chief areas of interest as a physical therapy clinician. Indeed, my first two years out of PT school at Mizzou was spent in long term rehabilitation working with patients who suffered catastrophic spinal cord injuries. Lastly and most sadly, this young athlete decided to take his own life because he could not deal with life any longer. Those who are also close to me, know this issue also is very near to me. I hope that we as physical therapy professionals and as servants of Christ, can help all people to appreciate that life is worth living.
Together with you in His service!
slesh
I saw this story online at cnn.com and couldn't help but watch it. It had so many elements that grabbed my attention, but most notably: an athlete and spinal cord injury. Those who know me best, know that these are my two chief areas of interest as a physical therapy clinician. Indeed, my first two years out of PT school at Mizzou was spent in long term rehabilitation working with patients who suffered catastrophic spinal cord injuries. Lastly and most sadly, this young athlete decided to take his own life because he could not deal with life any longer. Those who are also close to me, know this issue also is very near to me. I hope that we as physical therapy professionals and as servants of Christ, can help all people to appreciate that life is worth living.
Together with you in His service!
slesh
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Ronald McDonald House
SBU DPT Community Serves Those in Need!
Five DPT students, Ashley, Jimmie, Tiffany, Clara and Brittney, visited the Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks to bring a warm, home cooked meal to those living there. With donations from the rest of the physical therapy student body at SBU as well as the faculty and staff, we were able to make homemade pizzas for the 23 people currently staying at RMHC. The people served were all families of children requiring extended hospital stays. Most of those served were new mothers and fathers. Their newborn babies were staying just across the street in the NICU. Everyone served was very grateful for the warm meal and just made fresh baked cookies.
Thank you for all of your help, without the volunteers and the donations, we would not have been able to serve these people.
Brittney
Five DPT students, Ashley, Jimmie, Tiffany, Clara and Brittney, visited the Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks to bring a warm, home cooked meal to those living there. With donations from the rest of the physical therapy student body at SBU as well as the faculty and staff, we were able to make homemade pizzas for the 23 people currently staying at RMHC. The people served were all families of children requiring extended hospital stays. Most of those served were new mothers and fathers. Their newborn babies were staying just across the street in the NICU. Everyone served was very grateful for the warm meal and just made fresh baked cookies.
Thank you for all of your help, without the volunteers and the donations, we would not have been able to serve these people.
Brittney
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Injuries, Research, Evidence and Promotions
Hey DPT Community,
Here is a great piece on a promotions effort from the APTA tying together an injury issue in PT (ACL), the prevalence of the problem (particularly with female soccer players), a discussion of the research leading to evidence-based conclusions. The handout incorporates the evidence and is an easy to follow program in which, according to the evidence will significantly reduce the onset of this injury for female athletes.
This is exactly the type of integrated effort linking the evidence with identified problems and providing solutions! Read it carefully and see what you think!
slesh
Here is a great piece on a promotions effort from the APTA tying together an injury issue in PT (ACL), the prevalence of the problem (particularly with female soccer players), a discussion of the research leading to evidence-based conclusions. The handout incorporates the evidence and is an easy to follow program in which, according to the evidence will significantly reduce the onset of this injury for female athletes.
This is exactly the type of integrated effort linking the evidence with identified problems and providing solutions! Read it carefully and see what you think!
slesh
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