This summer, I had the pleasure of completing an internship at Active Physical Therapy – Hilliard from early May through the end of July as a Physical Therapist Aide. As a PT Aide at the clinic, I was expected to fulfill many tasks on a daily basis. These tasks included duties like basic maintenance, cleaning, and helping to check patients in. However, my most significant duties by far included observing and assisting patients in the administration of their physical therapy regimens.
In a typical day, we would see approximately 5-10 patients per therapist. We worked with patients from initial entry all the way to “graduation”. For example, Lisa (not her real name) was a patient that had been coming to the clinic for two weeks before I started my internship. Lisa was an elderly woman that struggled with activities of daily living and suffered from deficits in strength and balance. In a typical session, we would work in exercises like marching in place, step-and-pause, and side-to-side shuffles as well as standard exercises like rows, overhead presses, and sit-to-stands.
However, we were far from limited to elderly patients. We had a young soccer player that, upon examination, was diagnosed with femoroacetabular syndrome (hip impingement). After that diagnosis, we would work on both range of motion and strengthen the various structures of the hip and leg. These two actions combined would enable the patient to tolerate load easier and increase range of motion over time while also building strength around the problem area. We especially focused on strengthen the abductors and the glute Medius. He was eventually able to return to soccer full time.
Sometimes, we had patients that had gone through severe trauma as well. Anne (not her real name) was in a traumatic accident that resulted in a shattered femur and various nerve issues. In a typical session, we would work on various strengthening exercises for her quadriceps muscles as well as building tolerance to loading the ankle area. Additionally, we would work on nerve glides in order to relieve and work on injured nerves. Over time, she was able to continually regain more and more function of her leg and ankle. Recovery, however, is an uneven path. It may be a long time before she regains full function.
Early in the internship, my preceptor and I sat down and decided on learning objectives that I would use to guide my experience at the clinic. My first learning objective was to improve my knowledge of human anatomy and physiology and to increase my knowledge of practical treatments for various ailments. My time at Active Physical Therapy more than accomplished this for me. I learned how you might treat many different injuries, from cervical spine issues, to hip issues, all the way to foot and ankle problems. My second learning objective was to improve my comfort in a clinical setting interacting with patients. I would argue I was even more successful in this objective than my first. I developed close relationships with patients that lasted for the duration of the internship. I became invested in their success and loved seeing progress from week-to-week. Overall, my time at Active Physical Therapy was incredibly beneficial. It strengthened my conviction that physical therapy was the right field for me.
-Andrew Evans