Nerves are Kickin'

After Thursday, I've been waking up a little shaky, and anxiety fills my body. As many of you know, Thursday was the sample presentation for us WISE students. As students, parents, and friends piled into York Lecture Hall, the stage was set. The WISE teachers began to explain how the process works, and broke it down so we could all understand it. I really didn't have a clue how this was going to go, and how Carrie's presentation was going to be delivered. I was extremely surprised of how well everything went, besides having no previous knowledge of her topic, her presentation was very well done. She was mixing up the crowd, and cracking jokes left and right. As I was leaving, I could hear the chatter of fellow classmates talking about how much work they still have left to do....Not even going to lie, I am in the same boat as those people. Carrie definitely set the bar very high for the upcoming presentations, and gave a lot of people massive amounts of nerves. After watching her presentation, it gave me more of an idea of how my presentation would be planned out. Of course I was taking notes, and wrote down the things I liked in Carrie's work, especially the audience participation. From now on, I've been trying to ignore the sunshine, and buckle down with my WISE work...

....forgot something

Oh and tonight Carrie will be presenting her sample presentation, and I am looking forward to this greatly. It will give me a great idea of what I need to work on, and complete for my presentation. I believe Mrs.Bryant will be there, and helping me take notes. I'm very interested on how this process will work, we've been hearing about it all year, but it will be nice to finally experience part of it. I will be back later to reflect!!!!!!!

For now, I will be leaving you with a nice picture that describes how I'm feeling at the moment.

meow!

Busy Week

 This week has been hectic with writing papers, researching, and trying to attend the last sporting events at Ithaca High School for the spring season. Deadlines are approaching, and yes I am flipping out......Blogging is probably a good outlet for me to lay it all out there though, which I plan to do.

On Wednesday I had a mentor meeting with Janie in her office. Tuesday night I had worked up a rough outline of how I want my presentation to go, and some of the minor details I will be sharing with my audience. This consisted of first introducing what I set out to accomplish, then giving a detailed explanation of the profession of Athletic Training. Although this particular blog post I wasn't planning on explaining my whole outline, I will promise to do so on the next one. What I really wanted to say about my mentor meeting was that Mrs. Bryant was extremely helpful in adding specifics that I could add to my presentation. She thought what I had produced could make for an excellent final project. The only thing I'm worried about is making it last 30 minutes, which I'm sure many other people are worried about. I plan on running through my material and testing it out, once I make the powerpoint presentation.


Here we goooo, yesterday I zoomed down to Kim's office around 540 to see the pre-game preparation for the Boys Lacrosse game. This was a big game for them, being their sectional game, it was do or die. Before the game, players trickled in wanting specific tape jobs. These ranged from ankle (high ankle), wrist, fingers, and knees. We then made our way onto the field about an hour early, of course ridin' durty in the golf cart. We then set up water bottles filled with water, and gatorade to fill the benches. After about 20 minutes of warming up, Kim and I took refuge by standing on the bleachers right behind the team the entire game. Now this was new to me, having a benchside view for a Lacrosse game was quite a thrill. It really gives you an up close personal perspective into coaches, and of course the players. As far as injuries go, some players needed more tape for their sticks, and many needed re-taping for their ankle for more support. Kim had a handy fanny-pack whcih she would furiously whip out whenever a player asked. The team was extremely respectful to her, and she mentioned this particular team was a pleasure to work with. Their was a sign of blood when I player sprinted over to Kim for help. He had cut his knee open and was dripping blood, Kim first wrapped the wound up with pre-wrap and tape, to stop the bleeding. She next cleaned the blood with a guaze pad, and off the player went back into the game. This all happened within 7 minutes. The game was a tight one, going back, and forth all night. Finally, the pulled it off with a big W (win), and celebrated to this fashion. After the game we drove back to the training room, and unloaded the cart and called it a night.
These live experiences really give me a great idea of what I will be getting into next year, and so far, I love it.
Kim said the very last sporting event will be next Tuesday, a baseball game, which she said are very easy....I will surely be in attendance, and as always, takin' notes.

Missing in Action....

Today I was feeling a little bit under the weather, and decided to take it easy this morning, and not go to WISE class. Yes, I know Ms. G I'm very very sorry. Although I did do the good student thing, and went to find Ms.G when I came into school. She told me that during class we talked about Student Evaluation spots, and talked about the sample presentation. She also mentioned that we were assigned to write about our WISE experiences by addressing juniors. The prompt for this assignment is "What I know now, that I didn't know in September..."

Coming into WISE my Senior year I was expecting a nice easy ride through high school. What I have come to learn is that it takes a lot more effort than you'd think. Of course, I knew I had to do a good amount of work in the first semester, and continue through individually with a project in the second semester. But as time passed I began to worry about my actions. As the first semester whizzed by with reading books, writing essays, and keeping on tab with my basketball season, the first semester was over before I knew it. Now onto the more difficult time, focusing during the second half of the year. One thing you have to realize is how you're gonna feel around April and May, and that is lazy. Senioritis does play a large factor, but it will arise in any classes you take. On the bright side I do really enjoy my time in WISE. The people were good to be around, and both teachers are helpful, informative, and most of all cool! The material we speed through in the beginning of the year will really pay off in the future. As for the project, it helps you build as a learner, and also as a person. It makes you really focus in on a goal that you set from the beginning of the year, and hold it until the end. It's a great learning experience for yourself, and will help you get a good start off in college.

Research-Mania...and film comments

Today my Mom and I looked over the film I had gotten from interviews with Katie and Bernie. Before I had watched the tape, I was extremely nervous with the sound being too low. After watching, we had come to find that the volume was hearable, and I could raise it if I absolutely needed to. I have some great footage, which is surely going to be used. I brainstormed out an outline for my presentation which basically will break down Katie's injury, and each section will be kicked off with a video piece of Bernie or Katie explaining each topic of rehabilitation.

In the footage I captured, Katie is starting her rehabilitation process out slowly by doing resistance band exercises. Below is a picture and some information regarding this topic. ENJOY!'

Basic Info
-Have a unique property known as "variable elastic potential". Meaning the more you stretch, the more resistance is applied.
-Can be used with stronger bands, for strengthening.
-Makes for better range of motion when injured, used with an isometric training strategy. Helps flexability

Speed and Quickness
-Expose coordination weakness, and muscle weakness.
-You will see this happening when your muscles begin to shake, showing that the muscle wants to return to a un-contracted state.
-When the muscle starts to shake, even slightly, while holding the position, the changing length of the band alters the bands resistance level and the new resistance level is sent back to the muscle. The muscle then attempts to quickly react and adjust to the constantly changing force provided by the band.




-Each color resembles a different thickness, for each level of intensity depending on your stage of fitness or rehabilitation.
-Often found in physical therapy areas, and athletic training

Trackside Chillin

Yesterday as I mentioned I went up to Cornell after school and video taped Katie and Bernie. It went really well!!!!! Bernie explained the details of Katie's injury, and what was done immediately after the injury, and the rehab process. I even video taped some new exercises Katie was learning to do, with explanations at the same time. I am very thankful for their help, and I'm hoping the film came out okay, which I will be looking at this weekend...


Today their was a STAC track meet at IHS track, and I met Kim in the training room after school. We embarked on our journey out in the rain, feeling miserable and tired. We set up our spot in a prime spot to watch high jumpers, and had a great view of the track. It was mostly pretty slow, their was occasional people wanting ice, to be stretched, or taped. Kim had to attend to some athletes who had gotten injured during their race. Injuries during this time included head, ankle, and shoulder sprains. As for me, I held down the fort with Kim and gave out my first bandaid and pre-wrap!!!! Most of the coaches and athletes thought I was a real trainer, so that was nice to hear. Although I didn't do anything I wasn't certified to do, don't worry! Kim talked me through many injuries that she's had in the past week, and explained injuries to me as athletes came for check-ups. Kim, as usual was oh so very helpful and continued to offer me a spot in the  cart for the next sporting event. Games are winding down as seasons end, but their is a boys lacrosse game next week which are assured to be very entertaining.

Class.....a little late & A Big Day Ahead of Me!

So on Monday, we all woke up to a very gloomy day, and nearly rolled out of bed into WISE class. We went over upcoming events, and of course the matters of business for the day. On Monday, it was making sure your presentation date was perfect, and had no problems regarding the place and time. Then we had to sign up for student evaluations,which I'm extremely excited to witness. I think it's a great idea for fellow students to support, and help critique other students work. We next shared our creative projects, and I wasn't surprised to see that half of the class did a playlist, as did I. I enjoyed doing this project because it gave me a time to reflect on what I have done so far, in music form. I mostly concentrated on the individual feelings I have been experiencing in relation to my project, such as time moving quickly, feeling stressed, and having everything be perfect.


Now onto the good stuff.....(not that the other stuff wasn't good)....
Today I will be heading up to the Cornell Athletic Training room to interview Bernie DePalma, (head trainer), and Katie Peterson (fellow student/teammate/friend) on tape. I'm pretty excited to get this done, because I've been planning it for quite some time now. I feel as though having this incoorporated into my presentation will add a nice touch, and great information.
Oh and Mentor Meeting Wednesday is upon us...Can't wait!!!!

Plan for the Week- 5/16

MONDAY- Class!


TUESDAY- Go to training room after school


WEDNESDAY- Interview at Cornell? Mentor Meeting :)


THURSDAY- IHS track meet


FRIDAY-Research topic...TBA!

E-Mail interview with Brian Lee!

After sending questions to Brian Lee, at Island Health and Fitness Physical Therapy, he quickly responded with great info to use about his profession!

Here it is

1.) What got you interested in this field? Where did you go to college, get your undergraduate and graduate?Like many PT’s, had an injury, and a PT really helped me to get back to doing what I wanted to do. Specifically, some low back issues in high school, which didn’t respond to chiropractic or rest, got better quickly with the help of a PT. I went to Ohio University in Athens, OH, and graduated from the 5 year program with a Bachelor Degree in Physical Therapy. (Programs have significantly changed since then; most are now 3+3 entry-level Doctorate degrees.)

2.) How do you think college prepared you for your profession? College (for me, the 3 yrs prior to PT school) courses like physics, chemistry, physiology helped me to get ready for the study of the rehab of human body, including musculoskeletal injuries, as well as other aspects of PT which I don’t use much anymore.

3.) How many hours a week do you work? And what are your main duties? 40+/wk; these days, ~ 30 hrs are direct patient care, with the rest of it devoted to administrative duties that keep the clinic running smoothly.

4.) What ranges of injuries do you specialize in? The majority of my patients over the past few years have injuries (macrotrauma, or more likely microtrauma) that are of the musculoskeletal system, especially in the lower extremities, and even more specifically in the past 2 years of the foot and ankle. That said, as is typical of an outpatient orthopedic physical therapist, I see a variety of injuries, including of the neck/back/shoulder. Additionally, in the past 18-24 mos, I have worked w/ a large number of runners who want or need to improve the efficiency of their gait.

5.) Could you describe the process of when a patient first walks in with an injury, until the day they are released? and all the steps of rehab in between

1. Examination: gather subjective and objective information from the patient and/or physician as to what brings the patient to the clinic; look at movement patterns (ie habits) that may be contributing to functional limitations and/or pain; consider the concept of regional interdependence, for example “my knee hurts”—ok, fine let’s look at that, but then also consider what’s going on in the spine and hips that may be leading to that knee pain.

2. Evaluation: decide what to do with all that information you just gathered; what does it mean? Does it make sense? Fit a pattern? Require more information, testing, etc.? Develop a problem list. What’s most important to work on first, second, etc.?

3. Treatment plan: the specifics of how to address the issues on the problem list (manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, etc.)

4. Re-assessment: are they headed in the right direction? When goals are met, finalize discharge plan, encourage consistency with home exercise program, discharge.

 6.) What is the most rewarding part/ frustrating part of your job? The good: helping people get back to doing what they need, want, love to do. The bad: People who aren’t interested in helping themselves get better and don’t make an effort.

7.) What is the most prevailing injury seen in high school girls? and do you see a trend? Hmm…toss up between low back pain/strain vs. knee pain; most of it due to poor core stability and hip control/strength. Trend? Have seen more of it in the past few years, possibly d/t more kids doing more, earlier, and with less variety (for example, the 12 year old who’s played soccer 12 mos/yr for years).

8.) What do you feel the most important difference between injuries seen in high school vs. college athletes?Hmm…may be easier to change movement patterns in a younger athlete? But not always the case. Some people are more “in tune” with their body and can change patterns even later in life. Some college athletes are stronger, but not always the case. May be easier to get the younger athlete to take needed rest time.

9.) How do you personally keep up with new developments in rehab, now that you're out in the field?Continuing education courses, teaching (and doing the research to be able to present), reading professional journals, talking w/ colleagues, etc.

10.) Have you come across any new innovations since you studied in college? If so, what? Innovations in PT center around treatment strategy; the list is long! One quick example is a treatment-based classification system, developed in 1996 (the year I graduated) which is now the standard for evaluation and treatment of low back pain; starts with a comprehensive, systematic evaluation which then categorizes the patient into a treatment strategy (ie, stabilization, traction, etc.). Clinical prediction rules are another development; for example, if a patient has findings X, Y, and Z, then there is a high likelihood that they’ll benefit from treatment A; if not, then the results have less of a chance of being successful.

Long time no talk....Research time!

Sorry it's been so long, the very last AP test was on Friday, and mine just happened to be then! So happy that I have one less thing to worry about now!

As promised here is some info about dislocations..

 

Background Info on Dislocations & Subluxations

-Dislocation occurs when at least one bone in an articulation is forced out of it's normal and proper alignment and stays out until it is either manually or surgically put back into place.

-Most commonly occurs in the shoulder joint, elbow, fingers, but they ca occur wherever two bones articulate. 

-Subluxation is similar to a dislocation, except when a bone pops out of it's normal articulation, it goes right back into place.

-Subluxation's most commonly occur in the shoulder joint, and in the kneecap in females. 

-Should be taken to get an X-ray to rule out fractures, or other problems. 

Rehabilitation Techniques for Sports Medicine and Athletic Training

William E. Prentice (Fourth Addition)

SPECIFICALLY- Dislocated Patella

How does it happen?

-Usually associated with sudden twisting of the body while the foot or feet are planted, and "giving way" episode.

Symptoms?

-Complete loss of knee function, pain, swelling, and patella resting in an abnormal position.

-Physician reduces the dislocation by applying mild pressure, with knee extended. 

-General anesthetic may be used, ice is applied, and joint is splinted.

-X-ray is performed and after reduction.

Management?

-To reduce dislocation, the hip is flexed, and the patella is greatly moved medially as the knee is slowly extended.

-The knee is then immobilized in extension for 4 week or longer, and athletes are instructed to use crutches while walking.

-During this time, isometric exercises are performed at the knee joint, to regain strength.

-After immobilization, athlete should wear a horseshoe-shaped pad around the patella used as a sleeve, to  protect the patella while running or performing in sports.

-If surgery is performed, it's usually to release constrictive ligaments or to reconstruct the patellofemoral joint.

-It's important to strengthen and balance the strength of all musculature associated with the knee joint.

-She orthotic devices may be used to reduce foot pronation, tibial torsion, and reduce stress in the patellofemoral joint.

Principles of Athletic Training: Eighth Edition

Daniel D. Arnheim

William E. Prentice

Progress in the works!

Today I had a quick walk and talk with Janie. We discussed the progress I had been making, and questions to ask both Bernie, and Brian. It turns out I will be interviewing Bernie next week at Cornell, with my long time teammate, Katie Peterson. Katie recently got a high ankle sprain, and has been consulting Bernie because of the hook-ups we have on the IHS b-ball team. So next week, I will interview Bernie and Katie, and Bernie will walk me through the steps of her rehab, and tactics to prevent this injury in the future. As for my interview with Brian Lee, the physical therapist at Island Health and Fitness, it will be through e-mail. I e-mailed him my questions, and he seemed eager to answer them for me. The questions are below......

1.) What got you interested in this field? Where did you go to college, get your undergraduate and graduate?

2.) How do you think college prepared you for your profession?

3.) How many hours a week do you work? And what are your main duties?

4.) What ranges of injuries do you specialize in?

5.) Could you describe the process of when a patient first walks in with an injury, until the day they are released? and all the steps of rehab in between

 6.) What is the most rewarding part/ frustrating part of your job?

7.) What is the most prevailing injury seen in high school girls? and do you see a trend?

8.) What do you feel the most important difference between injuries seen in high school vs. college athletes?

9.) How do you personally keep up with new developments in rehab, now that you're out in the field?

10.) Have you come across any new innovations since you studied in college? If so, what?

Week Schedule...gotta do big things this week!

MONDAY- Class!!!

TUESDAY- IHS game?

WEDNESDAY- Mentor Meeting....Interview?

THURSDAY- E-mail intervew?

FRIDAY- Research....Dislocations!



Things I must get done is: film the interview, any action at IHS with kim, and take more photos!

Class

Today in class it was an important one......We got our lottery tickets for our presentation date, and I anxiously awaited my number. As Ms.Gergely circled around the room, I luckily picked up number 4. I knew I wanted a middle-range date, not too early, and not too late. I went up to the board and chose the 13th of June, which is the range I was hoping for. I then realized that my Economics final may be on this day, so that date will be up in the air, and maybe switched.

This is a real wake-up call for me to put the pedal to the metal and get goin...not that I haven't been doing so now.

Last night I e-mailed Bernie DePalma to schedule an interview, along with Brian Lee who is a physical therapist. Both replied back with extremely positive answers, and more will come with that info!!!

A new kind of research....

Ankle Taping Instructions

This video shows the procedure of the common tape job of an Ankle Sprain. Now you can take all of the research given in words, and put it to visuals.

I also e-mailed Brian Lee, who was my former physical therapist, and one of the best in his field. Kim Bailey recommended that I interview him about the specific field, and seeing the difference between Athletic Training.

Class

Today in class, I did arrive late due to an appointment. It seemed to be a pretty low key day, of going over the basics of the upcoming weeks. Ms. Gergely introduced us with an assignment having to do with a creative project, whcih we are all familiar with by now. The project doesn't seem to be too hard, but we'll see when the times comes.........We then proceded to talk about the demo presentation, and the end of the year party! yeaaaaaaah buddaaay. From then on, Ms. G let us relax and sit back, in which the room stayed silent with exhaustion from the weekend.


P.s sorry this is so late I had this in drafts, and never finished it!

Better late than never!

Mentor Meeting.....nerves are setting in....

Today I met with Janie B in her office, and we had a very helpful chat. Lately, I've been stressing out big time about what to do for my presentation. I mean come on, 30 minutes of me talking is not going to happen, so we figured out ways to stray away from me talking up a crowd for that long, and to make it more interesting. We came up with an idea of video taping Bernie DePalma talking about the process of a certain injury: the diagnosis, taping and minor participation, and the 2 phases an athlete goes through for rehab. I also would like to video tape Kim during the three aspects of Athletic Training she faces daily (theirs many more) which are the same as Bernie, but it would be a visual of the actual information. I have also been taking photos, so those would be on display and I could set up a sort of gallery. My next thought was to do a sort of demonstration of a tape job, and maybe ask the audience for volunteers to do it after I have. Of course the first thing I would do is introduce Athletic Training, and by the end give more detail about the profession of Sports Medicine..........This just makes me nervous and shows how much I really have to do....


This is just a start...

Week Schedule

Monday- CLASS!!!!!

Tuesday-Cornell? IHS sporting event?

Wednesday-Mentor Meeting

Thursday- E-mail physical therapist for an interview

Friday- Research.........topic TBA

You already know what it is....RESEARCH!

It has been a restful weekend, now back to the WISE grind.....
Having the privilege of knowing Bernie DePalma (hoping on going to Cornell this week, for real) is having the option of going up there for a treatment. When I had back problems, Bernie always put me in on the Stim Therapy Machine. I didn't really understand the real purpose of it, but it always made me feel better. Because of this experience, I decided to research this topic for the regular Sunday Funday research!


History and Background
-Electrical stimulation for pain control in Ancient Greece, 63 A.D.
-The next invention after that was the Electreat, which were used for pain control and cancer cures, that quickly found negative aspects, and disappeared after the twentieth century.
-Today, many people are confusing TENS with Electro Muscle Stimulation. Both use long electric lead wires and electrodes, while TENS is for blocking the pain, and EMS is for stimulating muscles.
-Also known as Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation, a electrical current produced by a device to stimulate the nerves for therapeutic purposes.
-The unit is connected to the skin using two or more electrodes.




Medical
-TENS is a non-invasive, safe nerve stimulation intended to reduce pain, both acute, and chronic.
-Helps with low back pains, arthritic pain, visceral pain, and post-surgical pain
-This is accomplished by placing electrodes over the painful area and administering a low-volt electrical current. The current overrides the nervous system's message of pain, thereby blocking it.
- The low-volt electrical current delivered by the electrodes only penetrates the skin to the level of the nerve fibers, usually only one to two inches. This poses no danger to most individuals.
 -Cardiac conditions and/or pacemakers, and pregnant women should consult their doctors before using TENS.
 -Neck and head pain that requires locating electrodes on these areas of the body should be conducted only with the consent of a physician.