Blog #3

     Today was my third day, and it was by far my favorite! This was the first time I spent the entire day with Physical Therapy, and I was shadowing Jamie. Jamie graduated from PT school in May, so it was nice to talk to someone who had just gone through the entire schooling and shadowing process. We talked a lot about the whole process, and she did a really helpful job explaining the different paths. She also made sure to explain why we were doing the exercises or treatments we were doing for a certain kid. While PT and OT have some overlap, I enjoyed PT because it is more hands-on and active. Similar to OT, what we do with the kids depends on their capabilities, but we try to make activities fun and engaging while also making it therapeutic. We also started every session off in the gym and let the kids play. With some of the older and easier kids, we preplanned activities, and the kids went along with it, but with some of the younger and less engaged kids, we followed their lead and just turned whatever they were doing or wanted into therapy. PT can be hard and frustrating for the kids, so we always compromise with them and designate breaks. We always let the kid choose how long they want their break to be, we set a timer, and when it goes off we go back to therapy. This helps eliminate tantrums because the kids are in control and know what is coming. 

    Today was a packed day with patients 9-4 with an hour lunch break at 12. All the kids we saw in the morning were very high-functioning. Almost all of the patients struggle with low strength which results in them struggling with things that should be easier. We turned exercises into a fun game by turning the exercise cards over and rolling a die to see how many reps/seconds we would do the exercise for. We would also do the exercises with the patient to make it more engaging and fun. In the afternoon, we worked with a non-verbal toddler with some unknown disabilities, and this was a difficult session. With these types of patients, it is very hard to control what they do, so we spent the entire time in the gym either on a swing or a silk. It's hard to feel like you are accomplishing anything or working towards their goals when you're not necessarily doing therapy, but we also have to keep in mind the situation and make the best out of the situation. We would have him do different positions on the swing to get some sort of therapy in. The last patient we saw had a really interesting session. She was getting re-casted for AFOs (Ankle-foot orthoses). This patient uses a wheelchair a majority of the time because she has very weak legs due to Cerebral Palsy, and when she walks, her ankles and knees go inward making her very unbalanced. AFOs are custom-made to the foot, and block the range of motion in the ankles and stabilize the calves. This device not only supports her while she walks but also helps teach her how to properly walk. I had no idea how those types of casts were made, and I got to watch the entire process right in from of me!