Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Psychological Interventions On Spinal Cord Injury ( Sci ) Rehabilitation Outcomes Essay

* Following a SCI, the first priority is often to help the patient develop as much possible strength in the

Life can change in a split second when an unanticipated injury or disease hinders someone’s normal daily life. Modern medicine, physicians and families can only do so much but physical therapy can help recoup the life many of us take for granted. It often isn’t until we lose something that we as humans realize what we had such as the value of our body’s ability to take us through each day. A physical therapist is the person who stays with a patient for the duration of the rehabilitation process. A physical therapist leads the patient through the process of regaining physical strength and helps the patient regain control of their future. Much like many careers that involve interaction with individuals, physical therapy reaches beyond

Currently attending the University of Dubuque, this bright-eyed young man found himself falling in love with the health wellness and exercise science program. Dreams of being able to work with the NFL or NBA as a professional physical therapist. Keeping his head on right is allowing him to successfully get through his first semester strong and well-balanced. With his background in football itself, he knows the ins and outs of what makes a person who is an athlete tick. Being able to aid someone who is hurt,

I agree with this form of post injury goal setting program. I believe that if we as a consultant can keep the athlete striving for his or her own goals they can still feed the competitive drive that remains within the athlete. By continuing to set goals for the athlete we need to keep in mind that these goals need to be task oriented and not ego oriented. In other words, these goals set forth by the athlete and his physical therapist or consultant need to be concerned with the development of competence within the rehabilitation of the athlete. Doing so will promote self-efficacy through the value and commitment of the rehabilitation. What we should try to avoid, is setting ego-based goals where the athlete is compared to previous or current athletes with the same injury. This only lowers self-confidence and increases the already high anxiety levels within the injured athlete.

Physiotherapists at a specialist centre in London are helping people with spinal cord injuries to get fit, achieve personal rehab goals and receive life-long care.

As an experienced runner at the peak of my season, I injured myself in my junior year of high school. I was diagnosed with bilateral tibial stress fractures by my physical therapist. Dedication was shown at its finest. I would run four to five events a meet while in excruciating pain from my knees down. Event after event, I would cry in pain, ice my legs, and thenceforward returned right back to the starting line for the following race. After being forced to terminate my season early in order to rest, my injury exposed me to the reality of the pain that multiple athletes may be experiencing. Generally, the athletes I recognize or hear of are dedicated to their sport. I believe that the worst feeling for an athlete is being told that they cannot participate in a sport they have put a numerous amount of time and effort into. For myself, I cried for days after being taken out of my season early. I realized that I did not wish for any other athlete, let alone another person, to have to cry in disappointment due to an injury that hinders a dream or goal. At that moment I realized what I was called to achieve; I was called to prevent and treat those painful athletic injuries as an athletic trainer and physical therapist. I believe that being an athletic trainer that has experienced the pain caused by dedication, effort, perseverance, and even poor training could cause me to be more relatable to patients that I may have in the

Spinal cord injury is a serious problem that effects close to 250,000 people in the United States with 10,000 people being injured per year . There are many things that can lead to spinal cord injury, including athletic injuries, car accidents, and recreational activities like swimming and biking. It primarily effects those between the ages of 16 and 30 and drastically effects the rest of their lives. It is a very debilitating injury that requires extensive medical care, often leaves the patients in a great deal of pain for the rest of their lives(2), and the treatment of which costs $10 billion dollars a year in the US.(facts from site 1) With all of these factors spurring research on there is a strong drive to

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a disabling condition that makes the individual dependent on others for performing their living and professional activities (2,3). Typically, a wide range of such services are provided by a caregiver or family members and relatives of the injured person (1,3). The World Health Organization (WHO) defines caregiver as “A person who provides support and assistance, formal or informal, with various activities to persons with disabilities or long-term conditions, or persons who are elderly. This person may provide emotional or financial support, as well as hands-on help with different tasks. Care giving may also be done from long distance”.1

Spinal cord injuries can be devastating leading to quadriplegia and even requiring that a patient be on a respirator and feeding tube. The incidence of survived injuries in the US is estimated at about 276,000. Less than 1% of patients with cervical spinal cord injuries will leave a hospital with full neurological recovery. Spinal cord injuries also prevent victims from working. After ten years post-injury only 28% of patients are employed. These injuries lead to necrosis at the site of the injury and form cyst like holes causing gaps in neural circuitry. Axons of neurons in the spinal cord most often don’t regenerate and begin to retract towards their somas.

To illustrate, I will first analyze the severity of the injury by determining whether or not it is a permanent or temporary injury. By doing so, it would allow me to dictate which program I must design for the individual. In other words, if my patient has an injury that may be permanent, I must structure a program that will be effective for a long course of duration. Then I will identify the type of injury in order to give me a better understanding of what the program regime should focus on. For example, if my patient has a torn ACL, I must design a program that will allow the strengthening of surrounding muscles of the knee without causing additional damage to the injury. At last, I will examine the athlete’s history of injuries in order to conclude whether or not the individual has been through a similar situation. For this reason, if my patient has gone through a similar situation, I would have him reflect back to that injury in order for himself to re-visualize the process of overcoming an injury. In like manner, I would evaluate the athlete’s psychological treatment of injury by first making a

When you hear the term ‘spinal cord injury’ you often associate this with something permanent, irreversible and extremely detrimental to the life of the individual affected. Recent studies into the application of induced pluripotent stem cells have found a way to potentially cure this condition, with the grafting of iPS cells to the human spine. It is impossible to argue with the results of recent research studies, which clearly demonstrate its capability to treat this condition. However, there is still some way to go until these studies can be applied to the treatment of humans, furthermore there are still many obstacles that must be overcome before research can proceed to the next level. iPS cells have the potential to differentiate

During the course of rehabilitation the patient is often seen by multiple therapists to help maximize the recovery process. “Occupational therapists and physical therapist who work with patients with spinal cord damages work closely together in order to prioritize the goals and treatment plans they have for the patient (Emerich,Lyn 2012)”. Assessing and documenting sensory and motor function is vital when working with spinal cord injury patients. “The assessment should include the patient’s voluntary and involuntary motor activity for all the muscle groups throughout their entire body (Emerich,Lyn 2012)”.when the therapist completes this assessment it allows them to identify appropriate and functional compensatory strategies and whether the

Whenever I heard the word “physical therapist” I would think of soccer players with torn ALCs, not people with long term breathing problems or infants with disabilities. I never really knew all the injuries, whether external or internal, that physical therapist could treat. Like me, many believe that physical therapists help physically injured people by evaluating their injury and assigning them exercises to ease their recovery. These articles have taught me a physical therapist’s job is way more than just that. Physical therapists are extremely educated and have immense knowledge about the body’s movement. They are the base of a patients support team. Not only do they assisted their patients with their injury, but they also give them the confidence and support they need to move forward and positivity accept their injury. After learning exercise can help depression, it made me think about the importance of physical exercise for physical therapy patients. Many patients receiving physical therapy are receiving this care because an injury has occurred to them. Sometimes these injuries can completely change one’s way of life affecting them not only physically, but also mentally. It’s easy to start to feel depressed when something big like a life altering injury occurs. I can personally speak from experience that participating in physical therapy at my field site has

When I was first injured, I dwelt on the negatives I experienced, but eventually I was able to move on and focus on the positives. My knee injury was an adventure to say the least and it had its downs and up; however, it’s an event that has helped shape me for the rest of my life. Although injuries appear to have only negative effects, they often have their own hidden positives that can change a person for

Psychosocial rehabilitation models the ultimate patient-centered interventions; it effectively supplements the individual’s recovery. Recovery is deeply