After week one on my neuro prac I have found myself in a world of hurt! I find myself as a fairly fit individual but recently am struggling with very sore muscles and aching joints! My musculo prac had nothing on this one where acute stoke patients, big and small, require a MAX effort to attain any position. It has always been warned that one needs to be somewhat strong to work as a physio.
What I have found is there is huge spectrum of hand placements, transfers and tricks of the trade to ‘safely’ move and treat these sorts of patients. I share a larger, max assist patient with one other individual on my clinic. It is very difficult to feel safe with the patient when all my muscles begin to shake and I start to sweat profusely. I have found it very beneficial to get tutored on the ‘field’ way of handling patients in this situation though I am still uncertain as to my comfort level with theses patients.
Our curriculum has done a good job of giving us a ‘base’ to start from. The difference is, practicing on each other is very different from the real thing and modifications are needed to really get the desired effect!! Currently we have utilised tutorials by our clinical supervisors to demonstrate facilitation, transfers, reeducation etc. as is done in practice. Techniques become quite modified and there are noted changes with those clinicians with years of experience. I still feel the need to become more confident to ‘modify the mold’ of what I was taught and what is used. I guess it comes down to what works for you as an individual but I do want to assure my patient is safe! Has anyone else found that tweaking some of the lessons learned has helped or hindered confidence with transferring/treating a patient?
3 comments:
Hey Tars,
I know the feeling, I have discovered muscles I didn’t know I had after this first week-and that’s not because I’ve been feeling strong but more that they’ve been aching!! You’re right about there being some slight changes to the basics of manual handling that we have learnt. I have found it very helpful for the slight modifications that we have been shown thus far by the experts in the field, it’s quite remarkable how just a small adjustment to your hand placement can make such a large difference to the ease with which you are able to move your patient!! I don’t know if anyone else is finding this but with some patients, no matter how good your handling is, transferring them is just plain hard work and if you were anyone but a PT or PT student, there’s NO WAY you’d even be attempting to move them. It is very hard to display a mask of confidence to your patient when your arms and legs feel like jelly!! Think we may need to start up the Jarred St Gym!!
Hello Tara,
I have also discovered the stengthening workout neuro rehabilitation seems to provide. Although I am aware of back care principles, I still feel I am loading my back more than I would like to. Most of the plinths at shents are those old unadjustable wooden ones, and the 2 adjustable ones we have are the double plinths - great for safety but bad for backs as neuro pts cannot move around them from side to side as easily as most. I find it extremely interesting that most Perth hospitals have a no lifting policy, and that this somehow does not seem to apply to physios. As for arm muscles, I have been climbing onto the plinths with patients whenever possible to use my body weight instead of my arms. PS how much is membership to your gym?
Hi Tara,
I think you hit the nail on the head with this post. I ache in places that I didn't think possible. I've had the shaky muscles too. My knees are especially sore after sitting on the floor while doing lots of foot mobs with the patient SOEB so they are in a WB'g position. I have been watching some of the other physios and I am learning to adopt better positions, so I think this is one of those things that experience will teach us. At least I don't need to go to the gym while I'm on my neuro prac.
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