It has been two years and almost seven months since I crossed that finish line. Just this month, I had to renew my license as a practicing physical therapist in the Philippines. How time flies by... Now I am seeing family, friends and future colleagues reach the same finish line. These days, all around social media, almost everyday, there would be a post of someone crossing that line, graduating and getting a diploma. This is why I dedicate this post to all those who made it until the end and never gave up.. to those who are about to graduate.. to those who are aspiring to reach the finish line.
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Time flies so fast. It is almost the end of February that everyone is rushing to finish their thesis and make it to the deadline. A little over a few days comes March...then it hits you. While others are busy with research, all you can think about is if you can make it to the end of March or April. All your mind thinks about is whether you pass or fail on the last crucial exam of your college life. Before marching towards that diploma, it seems that you have to survive another typhoon. Not just any typhoon but by the likes of a typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).
Since we just celebrated Valentine's day, I still got some hearts day jitters. I want to post something light that will make people smile. So here are some hilarious, awesome and cute quotations posted by other physical therapists. Enjoy reading! <3 Let's start of with something romantic and a little bit of passion in lieu of the hearts day... Top 10 Reasons to Date a Physical Therapist
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As physical therapists, we work with our patients closely. Close enough that we are required to have personal contact with them. We literally are ‘physical’ therapists. Just like a surgeon is to his hands, PTs also value the use of their hands. We use them all the time, from the time a patient walks in to assisting them in the treatment area, to palpation, to assessing functional movements, to mobilizing tissues, to giving feedback up until the patient walks out of the room. Without our hands, we are held powerless and useless. Working with our hands is a gratifying job especially when you get to touch other people, (ehem! hihi) particularly their lives. |
Bringing Out The Evidence of Lack of Evidence Based Practice
How many times have you treated a certain case with the same management over and over again with different patients? Have you ever given the same home exercise program handouts to patients of similar diagnosis? Was there a time you did special tests and measures but it did not yield a positive result to the condition? Are you guilty of all of these? I know I was.
This is just proof that we are not as committed to incorporate evidence based practice in our profession. We know well that every patient no matter how similar the case may be will have a different response to an assessment or treatment. We also know pretty well that patient’s compliance to physical therapy sucks as hell. But because handing out HEPs (as Ryan Kelps points out) is easier, we just go with it. Same goes for the monotonous treatment protocols we provide to patients.
The problem does not lie with the patients being lazy but US being lazy. We do not give them the support they need. When, as a matter of fact, there many materials out there to work with; that will make them more compliant. This is where evidence based practice comes into play.
This is just proof that we are not as committed to incorporate evidence based practice in our profession. We know well that every patient no matter how similar the case may be will have a different response to an assessment or treatment. We also know pretty well that patient’s compliance to physical therapy sucks as hell. But because handing out HEPs (as Ryan Kelps points out) is easier, we just go with it. Same goes for the monotonous treatment protocols we provide to patients.
The problem does not lie with the patients being lazy but US being lazy. We do not give them the support they need. When, as a matter of fact, there many materials out there to work with; that will make them more compliant. This is where evidence based practice comes into play.
After passing internship and graduation, every physical therapy student's relief is short-lived. The epic exam of a lifetime is at the back of every PT graduate's mind. For months, it is one's dream to covet the title Physical Therapist Registered in the Philippines (PTRP). Sounds pathetic but it's true. It is the moment every PT graduate has been waiting for to be licensed, join the work force and dive into the medical world as a professional.
But what happen's next after the hoorays of passing the licensure examination? You already have the title in your name, but what now? Soon enough you get settled and take everything in. Being a registered therapist, you are now ready and bound to enter the real world independently. As you go through the professional life, you get to realize many things....
Humans see things differently. Each of us perceive a whole different world. When you enter the world of physiotherapists, it's a whole new universe. We have a unique way of viewing things. I have to warn you, it may be a little crazy and weird sometimes. Take a look on how we see things and how we think. Try to look at the pictures below.
What is the first thing you think about when you see the picture/s below? You'll be surprised of how we think when we see the same set of pictures. Let's see if we think the same.
What is the first thing you think about when you see the picture/s below? You'll be surprised of how we think when we see the same set of pictures. Let's see if we think the same.
Letters of The Alphabet
WHAT YOU SEE
Happy New Year! :)
It has just been 44 days since PT Perspectives published its first online post. PT Perspectives started with just a mere conversation with my colleagues about the current status of our profession in the Philippines. It then followed by a series of meetings talking about continuing education and sharing our knowledge about what we know in terms of practice. We talked about problems we've encountered from our work experience, frustrations about the system and aspirations of how can it be better. Suddenly, it just hit me. This is something worth standing up for.
It has just been 44 days since PT Perspectives published its first online post. PT Perspectives started with just a mere conversation with my colleagues about the current status of our profession in the Philippines. It then followed by a series of meetings talking about continuing education and sharing our knowledge about what we know in terms of practice. We talked about problems we've encountered from our work experience, frustrations about the system and aspirations of how can it be better. Suddenly, it just hit me. This is something worth standing up for.
The body is a pretty amazing work of art. It always has a way to seemingly work in an almost perfect condition even when in pain and distress. That's why it takes a good physio to really pinpoint where the pain truly comes from, why it happened and how. Finding out the REAL CAUSE of the problem makes everybody's job easier (PT, patient, family...).
Usually, we (especially osteopaths) call most of the problems as somatic dysfunctions. What is it exactly? A somatic dysfunction is an "impaired or altered function of related components of the somatic (body framework) system: skeletal, arthrodial, and myofascial structures, and related vascular, lymphatic, and neural elements.” (Glossary Review Committee, for the Educational Council on Osteopathic Principles and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.Glossary of Osteopathic Terminology. April 2002) Thank you God for giving us physios clues to identify dysfunctions in the body. And there are plenty! The question is how do we know which one is the main perpetrator. Which are the ones we should prioritize and focus on?
If you are having a hard time understanding pain, how the body reacts and adapts to it...
If you want to enhance your clinical reasoning skills...
If you get confused in global and local pattern relationships...
If you want a more efficient and effective way to assess patients...
If you find it difficult to treat chronic pain patients (low back pain, MPS, fibromyalgia, CRPS..)...
If you want to be a better professional...
Usually, we (especially osteopaths) call most of the problems as somatic dysfunctions. What is it exactly? A somatic dysfunction is an "impaired or altered function of related components of the somatic (body framework) system: skeletal, arthrodial, and myofascial structures, and related vascular, lymphatic, and neural elements.” (Glossary Review Committee, for the Educational Council on Osteopathic Principles and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.Glossary of Osteopathic Terminology. April 2002) Thank you God for giving us physios clues to identify dysfunctions in the body. And there are plenty! The question is how do we know which one is the main perpetrator. Which are the ones we should prioritize and focus on?
If you are having a hard time understanding pain, how the body reacts and adapts to it...
If you want to enhance your clinical reasoning skills...
If you get confused in global and local pattern relationships...
If you want a more efficient and effective way to assess patients...
If you find it difficult to treat chronic pain patients (low back pain, MPS, fibromyalgia, CRPS..)...
If you want to be a better professional...
If you are a physical therapist, I want you to answer this question before the year ends. Are you proud to be one? Do you want to shift into a new profession? Is it really worth it? If you're not a PT and you know one, do you think what they do for a living is amazing? Are you somewhat inspired to become one as well?
Answer the poll below. Let's see how we perceive ourselves and others perceive us. Ask your others to vote as well.
Answer the poll below. Let's see how we perceive ourselves and others perceive us. Ask your others to vote as well.